Restoration
by Link015
Summary: With the end of the war that ravaged the continent of Tellius, a shaky sort of peace has descended among the land. With this peace has come other needs. One is the need to get money for a country's restoration.
1. Mission 1: A New Mercenary

Chris: Yes, I _am_ making a new fic. About Tellius, simply because there aren't enough stories about it at the moment. This occurs post-PoR, meaning Crimea _had_ gotten nuked by Daein, Daein _is_ nuked, and Begnion is just there with Sanaki. Yeah. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Mission 1: A New Mercenary**

"You guys _will_ look after my mother, right?" A young, seventeen-year old boy with long, blond hair that was tied in a ponytail looked at a pair of older people, who nodded. "I don't want anything bad happening here."

"Don't worry, Isaac. Nothing bad will happen to your mother. We'll guarantee it." One of the two, a cocky, bearded man with squinty blue eyes and ragged clothes nodded. "You've defended our village for years, Isaac. It's only right that we help care for your only parent."

"…" Isaac nodded, blinking his green eyes. He hefted his spear in his hands and checked to make sure everything was still inside the leather satchel that he carried. "Good luck, guys."

"Luck? Your father never believed in anything as remote as luck." The second person spoke.

"And look where it got him. I bet he wished he was lucky when the arrow came out of nowhere and lodged into his throat." Isaac shook his head. Stifling a small sigh, he stamped the butt of his spear on the ground and walked off. "Farewell."

_­---_

'_So this is Melior, huh? Hmph, looks better than I thought.'_ Isaac thought to himself as he walked through the crowded streets of the capital city of Crimea. Even after two years of rebuilding, there were still spots in the capital that spoke of Daein occupation and destruction. Still, the simple fact that most of the city was rebuilt spoke wonders of speed of the Crimean people. _'Now…Where do I go from here? There's got to be a mercenary's guild around here somewhere. Every city has one.'_

He stumbled uncertainly throughout the cobblestone roads, apologizing quickly if he accidentally hit someone. Finally, after a few well-placed questions, he discovered the location of the Mercenaries Guild and entered. Frowning, Isaac looked around the place, uncertain of what to think of it. After all, this was his first time even trying out to be a mercenary and he wasn't that sure he would be able to do well, after all. I mean, what did he have, other than his father's old spear and some battle experience against local bandit gangs?

"Um, excuse me?" Isaac walked up to a dusty counter that was stationed near the opposite of the entrance. Looking at the back of some sort of bartender or something, he tapped the counter. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah? What is it?" The man turned around and frowned at the newcomer. "Sheesh, don't tell me. Another young hopeful trying out the romance of the mercenary life. Just get out of here before you get yourself killed."

Isaac flushed and tried to return the man's glare. "I'm sorry if you think that way, but I'm not one to get myself killed. True, this is my first try, but if I can't get a job from you, then I'll just get it from somewhere else. There have to be more mercenary guilds in other cities and I'm sure they would like to get the commission instead of you." He flipped back his ponytail and looked around at the other people in the building. People who were now taking an interest at the new kid in their presence.

"You think you can handle a mercenary's life?" One of the man's eyes rose. "Very well. You've got yourself a job with two conditions."

"…Fine, what are they?" Isaac muttered, already getting a bad feeling about these conditions. He looked out of the corner of his eyes at the other mercenaries. Already, some of them were smiling, as if enjoying some great joke. Isaac was certain the joke would be played on him.

"First is that you prove that you're strong enough in a one-on-one battle with one of the residents here. The other…" He knocked roughly on a door behind him. "Is that you take this little lass with you. She's been haranguing us for some experience and we finally decided to keep her locked up in there. You take her along with you and you're welcome to take any job you want from us."

"…" Isaac frowned. The first condition suited him just fine. If they wanted to fight, at least they would find out he was no pushover. The second one, however, was less than welcome. But if he wanted a job, he'd have to agree and he knew that it would take money to get to another town. More money than what he had at the moment. "Fine, where is she?"

"Right over here." The big man grinned and pulled open the door. Bounding out, a girl of around the same height as Isaac looked around in excitement. Her eyes focused on Isaac and she smiled slightly. Despite himself, he gave her a smile in return, but his spirit was sinking. Even just from looking at her, Isaac knew that they had barely anything in common in terms of personality.

"So you guys finally decided to let me out! You know it was really mean to keep me there anyway." She frowned and put her hands to her hips. "So, what're you doing now?"

"We've got a partner for you." The man pointed to Isaac. "He's looking for a job and we're looking for a way to get you out of our hair. So there you go. Introduce yourself, you little minx."

"Oh, hi!" She curtseyed to the blond teenager. "My name is Sarai Weldspar. Um…I hope I'm not too much of a burden and thank you for letting me come with you." She held out her hand to him.

Isaac looked at it for a while before taking it. _'Eh, might as well. If I'm going to be traveling with her, it wouldn't be good for us to start off on a bad note.'_ Isaac cleared his throat. "Isaac Tritheon. It's not a problem." He turned to look at the unknown man again. "So, who do I fight?"

The big man grinned. "Straight to the point. I like that. Boors Caaleon, at your service. And as for your fight…Who would like to fight this young lad?" He looked at the sea of hands that were raised. "Ah, Yaleus, you seem to be eager enough. Get up and show him the true strength of a mercenary."

"It would be my pleasure!" Yaleus stood up and smirked at Isaac. "I wouldn't want our fine and dandy visitor to get hurt, so let's just fight with practice weapon. I trust you've handled one of these?" He pulled a wooden lance from a rack on the wall and tossed it at Isaac, who caught it deftly. "I see you have." He slid out a training sword for himself. "Right this way, young sir."

"Hmph…" Isaac muttered to himself as he followed the taller man to an open clearing out at the back of the guild building. "Any rules I should be aware of?"

"Sure. Don't get killed. Simple enough?" Yaleus smiled at Isaac humorlessly, rotating the sword in his wrist. "Ready?"

"…" Isaac got down in a low crouch, holding his spear out in front of him. "Ready."

"Hi-yah-hah!" Yaleus made the first move, dashing towards Isaac with his sword held high above his head. Isaac thrust his spear out towards the green-haired man, who promptly sidestepped and laid a heavy blow at the back of Isaac's head. The blond spear-wielder staggered forward but quickly recovered to bring his spear back in line.

His opponent had no intention of gaining any momentum however and forced Isaac into a constant defense as his training sword flew in the air, seemingly striking from everywhere at once. After a couple of more blows, Isaac was blown back onto the dusty ground, his lance flying out of his hands. Yaleus stood over him, that all-too-familiar smirk on his face.

"Had enough?"

"…" Isaac sprinted for his lance and grabbed it with his hand. Spinning around, he brought his lance up to counter the expected blow. He was a little too late, however. Just as Isaac was bringing the lance up, Yaleus' sword slammed into his stomach, knocking all the wind out of him and causing him to lose his grip on his lance once again.

"Enough…" Isaac coughed and struggled upwards, trying not to throw up from the stomach blow. "Hmph…"

Yaleus carelessly slung his sword away and helped the younger man up. "Nice fight. Entertaining, but you don't move quickly enough." He walked back inside and nodded at Boors. Isaac staggered in after him and slumped on an empty chair, breathing heavily.

"Well, Yaleus apparently thinks you're good enough, so welcome to the guild." Boors clapped his hands and poured a small mug of ale for Isaac. The blond-haired mercenary shook his head and waved the mug away.

"I don't drink."

"Ah…That's unusual. Very well then." Boors emptied the mug in a couple of seconds and wiped the residue away with his hand. "Now, onto business." He pointed to a billboard tacked onto the wall. "First things first, you don't get through life as a single sword for hire. You'll need a band of people and with Sarai here, you've just started."

Isaac frowned slightly. It was all and good that he was on his way to becoming a full mercenary, but having other people join him wasn't in his prospects. Especially when they found out where he was from. "Okay…"

"First, we'll need a name for your team. Every good mercenary group has a name. It helps other people remember who you are. After all that's done, we can get around to giving you jobs. Well, at least jobs for a brand new mercenary band with no experience and members." Boors smiled briefly before pointing to the billboard again. "Speaking of members, hopefuls come in here all the time. If you post up a notice there, maybe somebody will want to join. You never know."

"Okay…I've got a name." Isaac muttered. "Fraction of Hope."

"Fraction of Hope, huh?" Boors raised one eye skeptically. "Not a very cheerful title."

"I'm not a very cheerful person." Isaac replied.

"Well, I think I might be able to change that!" Sarai sat down opposite of Isaac, smiling. She cocked her head to the side. "Where'd you come from?"

There it was. The question he didn't want to have to answer. "Somewhere." Isaac looked away, frowning.

"Somewhere isn't an answer!" Sarai said indignantly.

"Now, now. I'm sure he'll tell you when he's good and ready. Anyway…" Boors scratched at his chin. "I'd advise you to pick up a couple of new members. A mercenary band with two members is a mercenary band that gets no jobs, no money, no luck, and no fame."

"I'll do it…" Isaac looked around. "Is there any place I can stay or do I just sleep here or something? If you can't tell, I'm not on the best terms with my finances."

"Oh, that's no problem! I've got a small base nearby!" Sarai winked at Isaac. "Just bring your stuff over there. I'll show you after we finish with our first job. This is going to be great!"

Isaac sighed inwardly. He had been thinking the exact opposite of the blue-haired girl. This mercenary stuff, apparently, was going to _suck_. "So…Are there any jobs readily available, or are we going to have to wait?"

"Ah…" Boors' eyes glinted. "As a matter of fact, we _do_ have something for you two. Are you willing to take it?"

"Might as well. I have nothing better to do other than sitting on my ass and hoping somebody joins." Isaac muttered. "So, what is it?"

"Can't give you any details. All I know is that this guy wants a group, preferably small, to go to this address. He said he'll give you the rest of the details later." Boors handed Isaac a small scrap of paper with a couple of words written on it.

"Thanks. And if anyone is looking…tell them that they're free to join my group if they want to." Isaac hefted his spear and walked out, Sarai quickly following him.

_---_

"Well, here we are." Isaac looked at the sheet one more time before looking at the building in front of him. There were no assumptions he could really make about it. It was a normal looking building, with the normal amount of windows and a normal looking door and a normal ceiling. Descriptions aside, it was normal. "Anyway, Sarai, what kind of weapon do you use?"

"Me? I just use this." Sarai drew a small weapon from her pack and showed it to Isaac. "Powerful, but it's kind of slow. It's mine, however, and that makes all the difference. She smiled as she slowly ran a hand over the wooden shelf of her crossbow.

"Crossbow, huh? That's unusual. Most people around here use a bow."

"Hmph, which is exactly why I use a crossbow. It doesn't get enough respect." Sarai frowned briefly before motioning to the door. "Aren't you going to open it?"

"Uh huh." Isaac knocked on the door and it creaked open. Holding his spear in front of him, he carefully entered the house, which appeared deserted. "…"

"Wow, this place sure is strange." Sarai said, not bothering to conceal her curiosity as she looked around the deserted place. "You _sure_ this is the right place?"

"I know how to read…" Isaac retorted. "Hello, anyone here?"

"Ah! My mercenaries! You've finally arrived!" An energetic man who seemed to have this habit of rubbing his hands together jumped out of the shadows, effectively scaring a couple of years off of the mercenaries' lifetimes. "Good, good!"

"Um…Yes." Isaac took a small bow. "I'm Isaac and this is Sarai."

"Yes, yes." The man nodded impatiently. "Enough of that. Now, onto the reason as to why you're here. There's been a couple of thieves that have been bothering me. I want you to eliminate them."

"Eliminate…As in kill?" Isaac asked.

"Kill, main, neutralize, knock out, whatever. Just get them away or get them arrested, I don't care. I don't want those criminals bothering me anymore. Your payment is a thousand gold and a special trinket of mine." Their employer waved them away and looked at one of his windows. "They come at night, so I'd appreciate it if you were here on time."

"Don't worry, we'll be here." Isaac promised. "Good luck." He departed from the building with Sarai in tow. "So, what do you think of him?"

"He seems honest enough, but something bothers me about him. Ah, that's probably just because he kept rubbing his hands." Sarai shrugged. "Well, you have your stuff, right? Let's get to our base and drop all our equipment off."

"Might as well. Lead the way." Isaac nodded and followed Sarai to a modestly sized building near the outskirts of Melior. The blond-haired mercenary looked at it with a mixture of disdain and approval. Approval because it certainly suited their needs and it was most welcome since he was lacking in the gold department. Disdain because other than the basics, it seemed to have absolutely nothing else. No amenities or anything of the sort. And while he would be the last to admit that he liked creature comforts, not having any of them just made the mercenary life seem…harder.

"Here we are!" Sarai threw open the door and similarly threw her stuff into an unoccupied corner of the building. "Sure, it isn't much, but at least it's something!" She looked at Isaac for a while before yawning and heading for one of the rooms. "I'm going to sack out, so have fun looking around. Wake me in time for the mission."

"Fine." Isaac said, placing his things in a less haphazard style than Sarai's. The blue-haired girl intrigued him. Well, not exactly intrigued. Curious, maybe, interested, could be…But there was just something about her. Isaac shrugged mentally. _'What do I care? Just as long as she does her job well and doesn't get into trouble. Sigh…This seems to be more trouble than I reckoned.'_ He cast a disinterested glance out of the window and proceeded to see what he could do around his new base.

_---_

"When are they going to _get_ here!" Sarai whispered furiously from her hiding spot in their employer's home. "I'm tired of waiting!"

"Be quiet!" Isaac snapped. "I'm uncomfortable too, but we need to keep quiet!" He cast a quick glare at Sarai before focusing his attention on trying not to yell and go insane. It would have been so much better if she wasn't here. Not only would it be a lot more quiet, he wouldn't have to worry that much about ethics. With his lance, he would be able to knock the thieves out with just his lance. With Sarai's crossbow, however, there weren't many options. There was whacking a thief on the head, most likely ruining the weapon or there was shooting the thief, which would at least cause some sort of disability.

Suddenly, one of the windows creaked open and a thin man motioned behind him. Isaac kept quiet as two other men joined the first person and watched as they slowly crept closer to their hiding spot. When the thieves were right in front of him, Isaac brought his lance out and immediately landed a good, solid thump right on the thief's head. Right afterwards, a blunt arrow flew out from Sarai's hiding spot and smacked into another thief's jaw.

Their hiding places spoiled, Isaac swung with the blunt end of spear at the thief who had gotten hit by the arrow. The thief made to block Isaac's attack but another arrow flew out and thudded against the thief's hand, causing him to drop the dagger he was holding. Isaac's spear caught him in the stomach, dropping the thief as well.

"Grr…So that idiot finally got guards…" The last thief muttered under his breath as he held his knife in front of himself cautiously. His eyes quickly roamed between Isaac and Sarai, who had risen from her hiding spot. "Good guards at that…Never even saw you two."

"Why thank you." Sarai curtseyed slightly before aiming her crossbow at the thief again. "Would you like to surrender now so I won't have to shoot this at you?"

"No, no." The thief shook his head. "To surrender would mean I go to jail and that isn't good. I prefer to keep my freedom."

In response, Sarai shot her arrow. However, the thief ducked into a roll that placed him behind Isaac and he quickly dashed for the door. Before he could do so, the door was swung wide open and Yaleus swung his sheathed sword right on top of the thief's head, knocking him out and most likely giving the criminal a huge, huge headache.

"What are _you_ doing here!" Isaac said, frowning. "I thought this was _my_ job!" He glowered at the green-haired man, who simply shrugged and smiled.

"I saw the address and thought you might want my help." He motioned at the fallen man in front him. "I think I was correct. Unless you wanted this guy to escape?"

"Hmph…No…So what do you want?" Isaac crossed his arms, looking distinctly unhappy that he had to have help.

"I came to offer my services. I got tired of being a run-of-the-mill hired sword and wanted to join up with you. You look like you're going places, kid." Yaleus hooked his sword back on his belt. "So, how about it?"

"Fine, fine…" Isaac muttered. "Come on, let's get these thieves to the local jail and come back tomorrow for our reward."

_---_

The next day, Isaac and his small band of heroes entered the Mercenary's Guild, where they found a small sack of gold waiting for them. Isaac gladly pocketed it and looked at Boors, who was wearing a mysterious smile.

"What's so funny?" Isaac grimaced as he plopped himself in his seat.

"Nothing, nothing. It was good work you did yesterday. And you got your pick of people who want to join this new up and coming group." Boors slid a mug of ale to Yaleus, who accepted it gratefully.

"Well, that's good." Isaac said, uncertain of how to react. Yes, it was good that more people wanted to join. Yes, it was good that people actually know his group now. No, it was not good for their base, which was already starting to seem cramped. "Where are they?"

"Outside." Boors pointed behind him. "Really your pick of people. A couple of thieves, some down on their luck soldiers…." He eyed Isaac shrewdly. "Some laguz…"

Isaac gave a small start and Boors nodded once. "It's interesting, isn't it?"

"What is?" Isaac returned, feeling angry for no apparently reason. "Where are you going with this?"

"I'm just wondering…After all, it's rare for a person to try to seek work at a place other than their home country…_Especially_ when their home country was at odds with the country he's working for."

"So? What of it?" Isaac said, feeling vaguely uneasy. Sarai and Yaleus were looking on in interest, trying to figure out what was going on here.

"So…Tell me Isaac…How does our fair country of Crimea compare with your home of Daein?"

* * *

Chris: Yes, starting a new story is not smart when I have a bunch of others. However…I still want to and besides, mercenaries rock. Especially in PoR. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and review please!

And yes, I'm accepting OCs from anyone who wants to be part of Isaac's mercenary group. If you don't wanna, that's perfectly fine with me. If you do, however, you can send it to me in an e-mail or PM or something. I'd be glad to see your characters and put them in the story.

And yes, the characters from PoR will be making appearances. So no, it's not a full OC fic.


	2. Mission 2: Perseverance

Chris: Well, here's a new chapter and no, don't expect a fast pace like this all the time. This story is just lucky that I'm participating in an RP with the main character so…I want to write this. And thanks to somepersonxP for giving an OC. Because you're the first, she gets to be the first one to show up. Granted, you're also the only person…But oh well.

Disclaimer: Don't own Fire Emblem. Get over it.

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**Mission 2: Perseverance**

"…It's not bad." Isaac said, still frowning. "Still, Daein looks better…well, at least before the war." He shrugged slightly. "How'd you find out?"

"I did a little checking." Boors said. "You give me too much credit. I was guessing, mostly. After all, you did have a negative reaction to laguz and you definitely have the warrior look about you. I took a hunch and I was right."

"So what are you going to do? Kick me out because I come from the hated country of Daein?" Isaac's eyes flashed and he half-rose. Sarai and Yaleus pushed him back down into his seat, shushing him.

"Of course not." Boors waved Isaac's concerns off. "We don't kick anyone out for a measly reason such as that. All I want to know is why you're here instead of at Daein."

"Isn't it obvious?" Isaac shrugged. "Daein is in shambles right now. I wouldn't be trying out as a mercenary if it wasn't so I could get enough money to help rebuild. And the places they do have open I don't want to work at. Reminds me too much of Mad King Ashnard, who abandoned his own country." He grimaced, his eyes blazing slightly. "And that's about it."

"Oh…That's so sad!" Sarai cried, wiping her eyes as tears began to pop out. Isaac turned to face her, surprise on his face. Yaleus punched him lightly in the stomach, grinning.

"No wonder you were so set up about getting a job. Hmph, good at fighting and good at morals. I think I'll like you."

"Uh….Thanks…" Isaac mumbled. "Enough of this. You have any other things for me or should I just review my potential recruits?" He pushed himself off of his chair and looked at Boors, who did a half-bow and motioned him out towards the training field, where a small group of people were gathered. Isaac felt his arm twitch when he saw a couple of laguz, but he quickly tamped down on that emotion. _'Laguz are still people and they can fight well. That's all that matters. The completion of the job and the assurance that everyone is working well together.'_

"Enjoy." Boors walked back into the main building, leaving Isaac, Sarai, and Yaleus with their might-be members. Isaac looked at each of them before stamping the butt of his spear on the ground.

"Attention! Everyone, line up! If you want to join my group, you must learn at least a small amount of discipline!" Isaac frowned at all of the people in front of him. They didn't look too strong…But what could he expect? He wasn't that strong himself. "Being a mercenary requires work and guts! I'm certain you've got the guts, unless you've spilled them out somewhere!" He heard a couple of chuckles and saw Yaleus motioning for something. He stepped back and let the green-haired man take the lead.

"Listen up! While we may be new, that doesn't mean we'll accept just anyone! Now, show us your strength! Two-hundred meters in that direction is a practice dummy! I want you all to fire your best shots at it! This is the first test! Now begin!"

_---_

Time passed and there were only three people that survived all of the tests that Yaleus had set up for them. Yaleus smirked, tapping a wooden sword against his palm. "They're all yours, boss." He walked past Isaac, who frowned momentarily before addressing his new recruits.

"Since you all passed the tests that Yaleus had set for you…" Isaac let a small smile grace his face. "Congratulations on joining the Fraction of Hope mercenary band! I am Isaac Tritheon and this is my companion Sarai Weldspar." He held out his hand for the three recruits. "If you could please give me your names?"

"Thanas Everion." A man…well, more of a boy at around Isaac's height shook Isaac's hand solemnly. "Thanks for accepting me and I will definitely try my best." He bowed before taking his position next to Sarai.

"Mizu Date." The next person, a female laguz with a cute pair of auburn-furred ears bowed to Isaac. "I hope you won't regret your decision…" She smiled slightly before standing next to Yaleus.

The last person, a young teenage girl with dark, crimson-red hair stepped up. She looked up at Isaac as she spoke. "I am Laisa Serana. I...am not completely certain of whether or not I can trust you…but I will see." She bowed slightly.

Isaac didn't know whether to feel insulted or relieved. Insulted because obviously, this girl had just said he was dishonest. Relieved because it showed that she had a nice bit of caution ingrained with her spirit. He just hoped that this caution wouldn't disrupt the group as a whole. Isaac sighed inwardly. It was all done. He had his group and there was nothing he could do about it. So long to his thoughts of making this a one person job.

_---_

"Sarai, what's the condition of our finances?" Isaac asked as they filtered into their headquarters in Melior. "Money, troops, weapons, etc."

"Um…Let me check." Sarai fumbled through some papers. "Thanks to our last job, we now have around….six-thousand gold available. We don't have an armory at the moment and as for troops…Well, you know what we have." Sarai looked around and grinned weakly. "Perhaps I could suggest using the money to buy improvements to our headquarters? We definitely don't have enough room at the moment."

"Smart idea, Sarai. I'll get right on it. I might need your help though…" Isaac looked away. "I don't know my way around this city yet."

Sarai smiled softly. "I'd be glad to show you." She turned. "Hey Yaleus, keep everything smooth, okay?"

"Got it, Sarai! Take care of our leader!" Yaleus returned as he slowly polished the blade on his sword. "Don't want him to get mobbed!"

"Right, right!" Sarai laughed and took Isaac outside. "Come on, I'll show you where everything is and you won't ever get lost again in this city."

_---_

"What do you think of the leader?" Thanas looked at the other recruits, looking thoughtful. "He certainly seems capable enough and he accepted me even though I have practically no experience in fighting." Thanas let out a small chuckle. "The only experience I have with an axe is with chopping wood."

"He seems nice enough." Mizu commented, her ears twitching slightly. "I feel vaguely uneasy around him…But that's probably just me. I hope that I can be of use, though." She flashed a smile at Thanas. "Like you, I don't have much battle experience. What about you, Laisa?"

Laisa stayed quiet for a while before speaking up. She brushed back a lock of her shoulder length hair before looking at the other two recruits. "He has the markings of a good leader…Strong and determined…I don't know if he's trustworthy…But I trust no one." She smiled tightly. "Don't take it personally. That's just the way I am."

"No offense taken." Thanas smiled. "Well, as new members of this Fraction of Hope band, I sure hope we pull our weight! No matter what happens, we'll always be a team." He let out a small laugh before hopping off of his seat and walking out of the room. "I'm gonna look around the base for a while. If you wanna join me, you're free to do so."

"Hmm…I could use a bit of exercise. What about you, Laisa?" Mizu looked down at the female mage.

"No…It's okay. I'll be fine here. Go on ahead without me." Laisa waved her off.

"Well, sure, okay." Mizu rushed off, her tail waving behind her. "I hope you're up for something else later!"

Laisa blinked her azure eyes before shaking her head and reaching in her robes for a small tome. Whispering to herself, she began studying the words inside, committing the spells to memory.

_---_

"…" Isaac stared at the building commission's employee for a while before shaking his head. "No, you don't understand. I need an expansion on my headquarters. _Now_."

"And I don't think _you_ understand, sir. You have to wait and file the correct forms first." The employee returned. "I have already given them to you. If you complete them in a quick and orderly fashion, I could daresay that you would get your expansions the following week."

Isaac suppressed the desire to strangle the man in front of him. "I see…Thank you and good day." He bowed before leaving. Letting all of his anger leak out, Isaac sighed again and looked at the forms he was holding. "I can never finish this in time. We barely have enough rooms with only three people. How am I going to manage this with six?" He reached down to his pocket to retrieve his money pouch, only to find out that it wasn't there. _'By Ashera, no! I can't have lost it! I had it with me when I entered the office!'_ He frantically looked for a person who might appear to be the culprit and spotted one.

The thief apparently knew she was being chased as well and put on an extra burst of speed. Isaac grimaced and pushed himself even harder. This was definitely not what he needed at the moment. Hurdling over a fence, Isaac tripped over a trash can, no doubt set in place by the thief.

'_Damn it all!'_ Isaac cursed in his mind as he hurriedly picked himself up and resumed the chase. As he reached the end of the alley, he found himself in a bustling street with no thief in sight.

"Excuse me, mister? Would you like to buy some oranges?"

"Huh?" Isaac turned to find a short girl in front of him, holding a plump orange in her hands. He was about to push her off when he realized something very important about this girl. She was holding his money pouch. "It's you!"

"Oops!" The thief squeaked and tried to run again, but this time Isaac got a good grip on the hood of her sweater, restraining her. "Aw, please mister! Don't hurt me!"

"…" Isaac said nothing, dragging the protesting girl behind him. People were giving him a wide berth, whispering and pointing at the strange pair. Most people thought it was a tough father enacting punishment on the daughter, due to the difference in their heights. Isaac found a little bit of entertainment in that fact before tossing the thief into his headquarters.

"Stay there…and don't do anything." Isaac glared at the girl, frowning.

"I won't…" The thief whispered solemnly, shaking brown curls away from her eyes. "Shoulda never come back…"

"Hey Sarai! Yaleus! Get over here!" Isaac called to his comrades. When they didn't appear after a couple of moments, Isaac called again, feeling suspicion tug at his mind. Did they decide that working with a Daein was against their principles and they had left? It certainly was possible and while he wouldn't admit it, it hurt. _'Is being from Daein so upsetting that nobody will associate with you?'_

"Boss, we've got a problem! A big one!" Yaleus rushed through the front door, nearly tearing it off of its hinges. "Seems like some people also found out you were from Daein! They've formed a band to kill you as reparation for Daein's attack on Crimea! They're coming over here now!"

"What!" Isaac spun to face the green-haired man. "They blame me for a decision that I had no idea was being made?" He spat on the floor, his eyes dark. "I suppose the new recruits have decided to leave? I don't blame them. This is my war and they don't need to get involved."

"Nope, we're still here." Thanas walked in and leaned against one of the walls, smiling. "Don't worry about it, boss. Origins don't mean much to us. We've all got our stories and I'm sure yours is just as exciting as ours. Being Daein doesn't mean that we can't work together." He hefted a small woodcutter's axe over his shoulder.

"I might be new…" Mizu frowned momentarily. "But…even though Daein and Gallia haven't been the best of friends…In fact, we're hated enemies…But you haven't done anything racist yet, so I'll continue to stay." She smiled brightly at Isaac, bowing.

"…" Laisa eyed Isaac warily. "So you are a Daein?"

"Yes. So what of it? Daein was where I was raised and Daein is the country I shall always call my own." Isaac folded his arms, frowning at Laisa. "If you don't want to fight for a Daein, you are free to leave."

"…The fact that you give us a decision of whether or not to fight shows that you're different…Other people would make us fight, no matter what." Laisa smiled uneasily, a motion that did not come naturally to her untrusting nature. "We'll fight with you."

Isaac released a sigh of relief that he didn't know he was holding. "Thank you all." He grabbed his lance that was lying on the side and looked at Yaleus. "Okay, do you know how many people there were?"

"I don't know. Around eight, I guess. Maybe even more." The sword-wielding man brushed back a couple of droplets of sweat. "What can we do? We don't have any advantages whatsoever and Sarai left to get the militia."

"Hmm…I don't know if the militia will do much…I _am_ from Daein." Isaac frowned. "But anyway, they've come to our door. We'll fight inside. We can't go in the crowded streets, there might be civilian casualties." Isaac tapped his chin. "But fighting inside is still bad. There isn't a lot of space to maneuver."

"Um…Excuse me…" The thief squeaked from her position on the floor.

"What is it?" Isaac snapped, angry at the interruption. "We're kind of busy now."

"Um…I was thinking…If they're attacking here…They would have to clear out any bystanders, right? And your friend is coming with the militia, right? So wouldn't it make sense to have the mage ready herself behind the door with two people on either side of it? That way, if they break in, she can probably blast away one or two of them and you two can knock out any that come in."

Isaac was about to tell her to shut up when he realized that she had a good idea. "Hmm…What about the windows? They can attack through more than one place."

"Well, you'll hear if anyone tries to break your windows and can react accordingly." The thief continued to explain.

"…Did anyone ever tell you that you had a mind for strategy?" Isaac asked.

"Yeah!" The thief smiled impishly. "Didn't have enough money for school, though, so I became a thief. It's a living. I mean, I always evade the people that I steal from. Well…" She grinned sheepishly. "Almost always."

"How about this? You join my mercenary band as its tactician and I won't tell anyone about you stealing my money. By the way, I want my money back." Isaac held out a hand and caught the small bag as it was thrown to him. "Deal, I assume?"

"Yep! Oh boy, me, a real tactician!" The thief jumped up from her spot on the wall. "I assume that you don't want to have any casualties, right?" She brushed dirt off of her ragged clothes and assumed her role as tactician. "Okay, you and you." She pointed at Isaac and Yaleus. "You two look the strongest, so you take the door. Mage girl, you launch the magic the moment the door breaks through. After that, you," She pointed at Thanas. "Guard the mage girl. And you." She pointed at Mizu. "You wait to see if they try something sneaky. Since you're a laguz, I'm sure you have better senses than any of us."

"We have names, you know…" Yaleus muttered.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll learn them later. Don't get your sword in a twist." The thief waved him off and walked towards one of the windows. "My name's Rima Perry, by the way. I'm sure this'll turn out perfectly! We just have to wait for your friend to get back, so you can just play defensive. Don't worry 'bout a thing. Gangs like the one that's attacking you never have a set plan in mind."

Isaac took his position from the side of the door, holding the wooden shaft of his lance at the ready. He didn't want to kill anyone because it just wouldn't feel right killing a bunch of bullies. The blond-haired mercenary let out a small sigh. He could only hope that Sarai will arrive soon.

* * *

Chris: Well, there it is! Isaac's mercenary career sure is getting off to a great start! Hope you like it and review please! And submit OCs if you wanna! 


	3. Mission 3: Protection

Chris: Well, I'm back with another quick update! Thanks to JSB for submitting his own OC, which will also make his appearance in this chapter! Enjoy!

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**Mission 3: Protection**

"Hmm…I hear trouble's started up the show. A couple of seconds and I should be ready to go." A young man hummed to himself as he slowly tuned the instrument he held in his hand. "A warrior of words, I am. If they just won't listen, then damn." He smirked to himself as he strolled through the streets of Melior. He whistled a small tune to himself, continuing to tune his instrument. He was holding a lute, of course, but it was different from many other instruments in the fact that part of the instrument was a weapon. Barely anybody could detect its presence because the ornamentation covered up any signs of a weapon being there.

"Huh, what's that?" He stopped with his work long enough to notice that the street he was walking on was quickly becoming deserted. Frowning slightly, the black-haired man quickened his pace until he ran smack dab into a girl of around the same height. "Whoa, where's the fire?"

"Huh?" Sarai looked up at the strange person in front of him. He was a carrying a lute that was adorned with many decorations as well as a scroll box that was hooked onto his belt. He had a melodious sounding voice and black hair, but what surprised her most was that one of his eyes was green while the other one was brown. Sarai quickly come to her senses and scrambled up. "Sorry about that, I have to go!"

"Perhaps some information would be required here…So that I may defeat what you truly fear." The man strummed a chord on his lute and smiled enigmatically at Sarai.

"Huh? What are you talking about? Listen, my friends are in big trouble here and I need to get help!" Sarai brushed dust off of her legs. "If you wanna help, thanks a lot, but seriously, I've got to go!"

"Patience, patience…" The man blinked a couple of times. "Just tell me what to do and I'll be there. My name is Raele Elkew. I'm a wandering minstrel, if you couldn't see for yourself."

"Can you fight?" Sarai asked impatiently. "And why did you stop talking in rhyme?"

"There is a time for rhyme and now is not the time. I sense your urgency and yes, I can fight." He gave Sarai a small bow.

"Okay, good! Uh…" She pointed down the street, opposite of where she was headed. "My friends are fighting a couple of hot-headed vigilantes, so I'd really appreciate it if you could help!"

"At a maiden's command…I will do as you wish." He walked in the direction she indicated, continuing to hum his tune.

"What a strange man…" Sarai mumbled. "But enough of that! I've got to go help my friends!" She continued on her mission.

_---_

"Grrrr…" Isaac groaned as he deflected a slash by one of the attacker's sword. "Why the hell are you attacking us anyway?" He leaned hard and pushed, knocking his foe away.

"Because you're a filthy Daein! No doubt you've come back as a spy to destroy our fair country once again!" The vigilante exclaimed before attacking.

"Don't be foolish!" Isaac yelled before ducking under his swung and using the lance pole to deliver a hard whack to the man's head. The man teetered on his feet for a couple of seconds before collapsing to the ground. Isaac leaned on his lance, panting. "Too late."

The blond-haired mercenary looked around the battered scenery of his headquarters. The initial battle had gone well for them. The moment the door was shattered, Laisa had shot a gust of wind straight through the opening, knocking out two of them from the start. Afterwards, he and Yaleus had proceeded to adequately defend the doorway from any attack. However, while they were fighting, a small bomb slipped into the room and exploded, covering the building with a haze of smoke. When the smoke had cleared, their attackers were already inside and many of the members were already fighting for their lives.

'_No doubt that bomb was some variant of fire magic…'_ Isaac thought to himself as he jabbed the butt of his lance into a man who was threatening Thanas. Finishing up his attack, he delivered a hard kick to the man's backside, knocking him to the ground, where Thanas used the flat of his axe to beat the man into submission.

"Thanks a lot, boss." Thanas said, wiping sweat from his eyes.

"…" Isaac nodded, looking to see if there was anyone else in trouble. Rescuing Mizu from an overzealous vigilante, he backed down the hallway. "Retreat! Get out through the back!" He waved his friends over towards him. "We can't fight in here anymore!"

"Perhaps retreat will not be necessary…You don't want to have too much to carry…" A soft voice filtered through the building, causing Isaac to look around in surprise. From behind the vigilantes, a black-haired man of medium height appeared, strumming a chord on his lute. "A warrior has come to light the way…Perhaps today is your lucky day…"

All fighting ceased as people paused to look at this newcomer. The young man chuckled lightly before strumming a small tune on his lute. He opened his eyes and looked at Isaac, who nodded slightly. Isaac had no idea what this person wanted, but at least for the moment he was on their side.

"Okay, everyone!" Isaac raised his lance in the air. "Let's go! Show these guys who's boss!"

The vigilantes heard Isaac's cry and turned to face the mercenaries' charge. As they dashed forward to attack, however, the sounds of a song reached their ears.

"Turkey, chicken, ducks, and geese…Every land's gotta have their grease." The black-haired bard ended his chant with a pluck of a string and suddenly all of the vigilantes slipped onto the ground with a thud. No surprise there, because suddenly, the floor that they were walking on had suddenly become covered with grease.

Isaac and his party stopped in their tracks, confused as to what had just happened.

"A simple gift from me to you, now show me what you're able to do." The man bowed slightly and sat down on the ground. "Perhaps a simple tune will soothe your soul, maybe it will help you achieve your goal." He proceeded to play a common marching tune, popular around the whole continent of Tellius.

Even as he walked, Isaac could feel his senses improving and his weariness was no longer with him. Nodding thanks to the mysterious bard, he and the rest of his troops began their counterattack. It was over in a couple of seconds. With the vigilantes continuously losing their balance on the slick grease, the members of the Fraction of Hope mercenary band only had to smack them around a couple of times before they finally gave up.

When Sarai and the militia arrived, the criminals were already bound and tied and gladly given over to the police with Isaac's compliments. The mercenaries gave a cheer as the vigilantes were herded outside of the headquarters.

"Hah! Shows you to mess with us! You give Crimea a bad name!" Yaleus crowed, glaring at their attackers victoriously.

"Nyah na na na na!" Rima danced around them, laughing. The young thief dropped on the ground, giggling as she rolled in the dirt. "Don't try that again, unless you wanna get beat!"

Isaac, not bothering to waste his time with the criminals, instead turned to the newcomer. "Thanks for your help. We might not have been able to win without it."

"You give me too much credit." The young man said modestly. "Truly, it was my destiny that led me towards you and your merry band of warriors."

"Um…I'm sure…" Isaac scratched the back of his head. "Anyway…I'm not sure if you want to, but if you want to join my mercenary band, there will always be a spot open for you." He let out a little sigh and looked back at his headquarters. "Well, there used to be, at least. How am I going to get this all repaired?"

"Seek out the maiden robed all in white…She will be near on the darkness of night…" The bard played another chord on his lute. "Raele Elkew is my name…Give me a chance and I will spread your fame…" He bowed slightly to Isaac, before examining the other people in the group. "Ah…A female laguz, I spy…" He walked to Mizu, taking her hand and kissing it lightly. "Perhaps we were meant to be, you and I…"

"Uh…I…Ehe…" Mizu blushed to her eartips, clearly taken off guard by the bard. "I'm not sure…if it's me you're talking about…" The young laguz girl withdrew her hand and quickly used it to brush back her long, auburn hair. Her tail was waving with nervousness and Isaac had to forcefully stop himself from looking at it because he was still unused to the idea of laguz.

"Awww…I guess you guys didn't need me after all…" Sarai walked up to Isaac, pouting slightly. "Well, I'm glad to see that you are all alive, though!" She punched the blond teenager lightly on the arm, grinning. "I knew you guys could do it!"

Isaac smiled wryly at her. "We almost didn't. I assume the crazy guy is a friend of yours?" He jerked a thumb towards Raele. "I let him join because I couldn't think of anything else to thank him for his help. You did a good job, Sarai."

"Why, thank you! I did my best." Sarai giggled happily. "So what do I do know?"

"Well…" Isaac looked at the trashed building. "First priority of to find someone to help us out here. We definitely need new headquarters and while we can room at an inn for a time, it wouldn't help us out in the long run." Isaac frowned and let out a sigh. "Raele said we should seek this maiden in white…but he sounds crazy…I'm not sure if we should follow his advice…"

"He _did_ help, right?" Sarai shrugged. "I have no idea what he's talking about either, but let's see if he can shed some more light on the subject."

"Very well." Isaac nodded and walked towards Raele, who was tuning his instrument again. "Hey, can you tell me about what you said earlier? About that woman in white?"

"What is there for me to tell? Only the gods truly know her well." Raele intoned in his sing-song voice.

"Argh…" Isaac tamped down on his irritation. "Please, Raele…I need this information. Can't you tell me any more?"

"Very well." The bard settled himself until he felt comfortable and continued strumming his lute. "The woman you seek, she flies so high. On her mount, she soars the sky. Down at night, up by day. Happy living is not her way. Shy, polite, and calm she can be. She is only acquainted with a minstrel like me."

"That's nice and all, but you didn't _tell_ me anything! I can find all that out myself. Where can I _find _her?" Isaac stamped on the ground.

"In the darkest night, there is a glow. The moon's radiance will only show. Show the girl down in the pool, waiting like a proper fool. Hopes held high for a grandiose life, show her kindness to prevent inner strife." Raele stopped his song and smiled at Isaac. "Is that good enough?"

"Grrr…I suppose it will have to do." Isaac grumbled under his breath. "At night, huh? This better be worth it."

_---_

"Remind me what we're doing here again? Wait, nevermind. Remind me what _I'm _doing here again." Laisa grumbled from her hiding spot. "I don't know why we're following this loony's advice."

"A loony I may be, except for my actions, which we will all see." Raele smiled mysteriously from his position next to the crimson-haired mage.

"…" Isaac sighed. They had been waiting at the only pool that was open at this time in Melior for at least a couple of hours and still there was no sign of this girl. Isaac cast a dark look at Raele, who merely shrugged.

"Perhaps one must meet one…When such is so, all shall be done." Raele offered.

"Yeah, thanks. That _really_ helps." Isaac muttered. He cast one last dark look at Raele before returning to his business. "Sarai, are you _sure_ there aren't any more baths or pools open at this time?"

"Well, none that I know of." Sarai replied. "If this girl is going anywhere, it would have to be at this place. I mean, this pool house alone offers hundreds of different baths."

"Different baths?" Isaac said. "By Ashera, we've been watching the wrong bath!" He stood up angrily. "I'm going to search alone. The rest of you can head back for the inn and get some sleep. I know I'm not going to get any." He stomped off, muttering curses under his breath.

"You heard the man." Raele smiled lightly and stood up, brushing twigs from his robes.

"Hmph…I don't know why we came here in the first place…" Laisa muttered under her breath as she walked towards the inn. She tossed back some of her shoulder length hair and let out a tiny sigh.

"Eh…I hope he finds her. We need a new headquarters and fast. Six thousand gold doesn't last forever." Sarai said. Shrugging, she walked towards the inn. "No worries. Isaac can handle it."

"One and one must come together…In the future, all our lives will be better." Raele ran his fingers over the lute strings and departed as well.

_---_

"Bloody bards…Can't speak a word of sense…" Isaac grumbled under his breath as he searched through the pool house. It was a good thing it was late at night because it would have seemed weird to see a guy open every door in the building and mutter curses. "Freaking woman in white…Totally lying…"

He vowed to open just one more door before leaving and collapsing into his nice bed. Sighing in despair, he opened the door and looked out into the open-air pool outside. And froze. For lying in the pool with her eyes closed was a young girl with shining silver hair. Or at least it seemed like it was shining, because the moonlight hit it at an angle that it seemed it was made out of molten silver.

Isaac froze. This was _not_ what he was expecting. He had expected her in clothes, for one thing. _'Oh right…This is a bath house. People take baths here. They don't wear clothes when they take a bath. Smart thinking, Isaac.'_ His first reaction was to quickly hide. His second reaction was to bite off a curse when he realized that there _were_ no hiding spots. So he decided to stay right where he was so he wouldn't make a sound and accidentally startle the girl. Granted, she might be startled enough to find out there was a guy peeking at her…But Isaac hoped that wouldn't happen.

"Ahh…" The girl sighed contentedly. "If only…things like this could last forever. Peace…tranquility…" She closed her eyes and sank into the water for a couple of seconds before resurfacing. "If only…"

Isaac continued watching…Well, his eyes were completely shut because he didn't want to peek, but he was listening. The blond-haired mercenary though this girl had the most beautiful voice…Except that it was tinged with a little sadness at the moment. _'This isn't right…I better leave. This moment is hers alone…I shouldn't intrude…'_

"Excuse me…sir?" The girl asked inquisitively.

"Um…Yes?" Isaac froze and his eyes snapped open. The girl was standing in the pool, covering her full breasts with a pure white towel with blue edging. Isaac couldn't help remembering Raele's song. _'Maiden robed all in white, huh? Smart, Raele. Smart. I'm going to hurt you when I get back.'_

"If I may ask…Why are you here?" The girl cocked her head the side slightly, not sounding angry, just a little confused. "From what I know, this one is a girl's pool."

"Uh…I'm sorry." Isaac flushed and shook his head rapidly. "I…I have committed such a stupid mistake. I'll leave right away." He turned to speed towards the door to escape his embarrassment. _'She's really beautiful…Better go right away.'_

"No…Wait." The girl said. "If it's not too much trouble…Would it be possible for you to wait until I am finished? It's late out and I don't want to have to walk home alone."

"…" Isaac paused, remembering another one of Raele's verses. _'Kindness will prevent inner strife? I kinda have enough of inner strife right now, thank you very much.'_ Isaac gave a small nod. "I will be waiting. I'm truly sorry." He made good his escape, immediately leaving pool room and standing outside, trying to calm his beating heart.

After a couple of moments, the girl emerged from the room, dressed in a white, sleeveless blouse and a medium-length blue skirt. Her silver hair had been tied in a pair of braids and fell to the middle of her back. She smiled at Isaac warmly and nodded at him. "Thank you for waiting. I hope your encounter with me wasn't…too embarrassing." She flushed slightly.

"No, no! I was the one at fault. Don't apologize for something that you didn't do." Isaac protested, blushing as he remembered the scene back at the baths. He still couldn't forget what had happened and the dirty part of his mind kept flashing her nude image in his mind over and over again. It also didn't help that she had a fantastic figure. "Um…You said you wanted me to take you home, right?"

"Yes…If you would be so kind to do so…" She slid her hand into his and smiled up at him. "If that's okay with you…?"

"Oh…Yeah, that's okay!" Isaac said a little too fast, still embarrassed as to what had happened earlier. Clearing his throat nervously, he slowly led her out of the baths. "Where's your house?"

"It's near the castle…I'll show you the way." The girl responded. "What's your name?"

"Isaac Tritheon…And you?" Isaac asked.

"Eliza Takney." The silver-haired girl responded with a smile. She looked up at Isaac, looking curiously at his ponytail. "What do you do?"

"Oh…I'm a mercenary…Well, a new one. I just made up a band. Fraction of Hope…We're relatively new, so I don't think anyone has heard of us yet." Isaac replied, feeling self-conscious as Eliza continued to look at him. "Um…Is there something wrong with my hair?"

"No, no!" Eliza said, embarrassed. "No, I'm sorry. It was just…such a peculiar shade…I've never seen anyone with blond hair before…" She chuckled. "Kind of sad…Isn't it?"

Isaac shook his head. "It isn't. Anyway, what do you do for a living?"

"…I make my living as a healer of minor wounds…I can't use magic, but I can make medicines that work almost as well as magic." She blushed and looked at Isaac again. "I was also a pegasus knight of Begnion…But I quit the service a year ago." Eliza looked back at the ground, whispering. "I didn't like fighting all that much, really…"

'_We don't have a healer in my group…I don't know…Should I ask? After all, she does seem like a nice enough person…And she didn't kill me for my mistake…By Ashera, why the hell not?'_ Isaac cleared his throat. "Um…Eliza…If you want to…You can join my mercenary group as a healer. You don't have to, of course, I'm just asking…But we don't have a healer and we could really use one."

Eliza looked at him strangely for a couple of seconds. "You know…Nevermind. It's nothing…" Her strange expression changed into a soft smile. "Okay, I'd be glad to. Um…Where should I go to report?"

"At the moment, the Silver Spoon Inn…Our headquarters was destroyed in an attack." Isaac grinned ruefully. "We're trying to find a new one…But there hasn't been much luck." He let out a sigh. "Our finances are still too small to afford a bigger building. But I'm sorry. I'm weighing you down with all my trouble. I didn't mean to go on about them." Isaac shook his head and looked up. "Is this your house?"

"Yes…" Eliza nodded. "Um…Thank you for escorting me, Isaac. I'll be at the Silver Spoon Inn tomorrow morning…Farewell." She walked towards the house, a two-story building that featured a small garden out in front.

"See ya." Isaac waved good bye before walking down the cobblestone path back towards the Silver Spoon Inn. _'…Well, at least I've got a new member out of all of this…But by Ashera's sake, please don't let anyone else find out how we met.'_

_---_

"I…I met him, just like you said." Eliza whispered, seemingly talking to no one in particular. "B-But…I don't think…"

"You were not made to think. Just listen." A voice, hard and commanding, resounded through the room that Eliza was in. "This man, Isaac, is not someone you should put your trust in."

"But…Pravus…"

"Don't speak my name!" The voice roared out. "You do not have the honor of speaking my name!"

"I…I'm sorry…" Eliza looked at the ground, her hands clasped together respectfully. "What is it you wish me to do, master?"

"Now, now, my dear, sweet Eliza…" The voice took on a soft, caring tone. "Do not worry…All you need to do is get rid of Isaac for me. And, of course, all you need for that is the Fire Emblem, correct? That little medallion will give you all the power that you need."

"B-But master…I don't know where the Fire Emblem is…"

"I'm sure you will find its whereabouts soon enough…But now, Eliza…Sleep. My restoration will soon be at hand and you will be the first to reap its benefits…"

"Yes, master…I shall…do as you command…" Eliza whispered, bowing to the unseen voice. She walked off towards her bedroom, stumbling slightly, as if dazed. "Everything…for the master…"

* * *

Chris: Oooooh…Creepy villain. Fortunately for Isaac, like all villains, he always waits for the hero to get a head start. Lucky Isaac. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and review please! And yes, OC applications are gladly accepted. I wanna make this band as big as possible and having OCs from other people would help greatly.

P.S. Black Nights, your OC will come in later. I wrote this chapter before you submitted it, so I didn't have a spot for you. Sorry 'bout that.


	4. Mission 4: Acquaintances

Chris: Sigh…My computer is being a complete piece of shit, so I will not be updating in quite some time. I'm actually updating on my dad's computer…and writing on his computer is not something that lets me update quickly. Well, I'll try my best, so hope you enjoy!

Note: To those who sent me OCs, I'd appreciate it if you sent me last names as well. It's not required, but it'd make introductions easier.

* * *

**Mission 4: Acquaintances**

"Get out of my store!"

A tall, black haired man was tossed out onto the street by a pair of brawny, hairy arms. The black-haired man chuckled nervously, scooting away from the bulky man that stormed over him. "Now, now…Let's not go overboard here…Just one little mistake, you know. People make lots of mistakes. I'm sure you've made a couple. I mean, you got married. Now that's a whole can of worms right there."

"How _dare_ you speak to me like that! Get out of my sight before I call the militia on you for harmful incompetence and destructive impulses!" The bulky man spat on the black-haired guy's cheek and slammed the door of his store closed.

"Oops…Hehehe…" The man stood up, scratching his messy hair. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"And get your stuff, Cyrus!"

A huge bundle of junk flew out of the door and clonked Cyrus on the head, knocking him down onto the ground. The brown-eyed adult shook his head dazedly and rubbed his sore head. "Whoo…What _am_ I going to do now?" Then, his sword smacked into his forehead, laying him out for the rest of the day.

_---_

"Hehehe…Did you meet your maiden in white? Cries of love could be heard through the night." Raele chuckled, grinning mischievously as Isaac entered the Silver Spoon Inn. The bard strummed a chord on his lute as he played for the laughter of everyone else.

"…I could strangle you Raele." Isaac muttered murderously under his breath. "And for your information, I _did_ meet with her and she's coming over in an hour." The blond-haired teenager shook out his ponytail and frowned. "Sarai?"

"Yo, what's up, boss?" Sarai popped out from behind a wicker chair, grinning at Isaac. "Have fun last night?" She cocked her head to the side, her brown eyes glinting.

"…How could you turn on me?" Isaac moaned before collapsing on one of the seats in the Inn's common room. The mercenary leader took a glance around, seeing if anyone was interested in their conversation. _'Hey, who's that girl over there? Seems to be looking at our direction a lot.'_

As if by command, the lavender-tinged haired girl stood up and walked up in front of him, her hands on her hips. Isaac stared at her uninterestedly. She certainly could be considered beautiful, with her scraggly hair tied up in a pair of cute, loose pigtails with orange ribbons. Even with the ribbons, parts of her hair still poked out, giving her some sort of messy beauty. Her skin was fairly pale, but it only seemed to emphasize that her eyes were shining green, as if someone had set up lights behind them. By some quirk of fate, her eyes reminded him of Eliza's blue ones, which brought a faint blush to his face.

"I don't suppose you're the leader." The woman spoke, folding her arms over her sleeveless gray shirt. "Hmph, I wouldn't think anyone like you could run a henhouse."

"…" Isaac frowned. "Thanks for your consideration. Perhaps you'd like to come back to offer your opinion when you aren't acting like such a bitch? Anyway, Sarai, know who this person is?" He stared at the girl unblinkingly, his own green eyes matching hers.

"Anair." The white-lavender haired girl replied, amusement tugging at the sides of her mouth.

"Anair…." Isaac stalled, searching for a last name.

"That's all you're getting."

"Fine. So what do you want?" Isaac looked at Anair, eyeing the quiver on her back. "I don't suppose that you want to join my mercenary band."

"I do." Anair replied. "I'm an archer, if you couldn't tell. I'm sure you could use my services, even though I doubt this rag-tag band will last long enough to enjoy it." The emerald-eyed girl sat down on one of the seats, leaning back.

"Hmph, very well. Welcome to Fraction of Hope." Isaac said, not bothering to extend his hand out. He cast a look at the other members, who were beginning to snicker and point at the door. "What is it?"

"Hehehe…She's quite a looker, Isaac! You got lucky!" Yaleus shouted, the green-haired man slapping his knee hysterically.

Isaac shot at glare at him before standing and rushing for the door. Standing outside, wearing a shimmering silver robe that matched her hair was Eliza. She smiled shyly, her blue eyes shining happily. "H-Hi, Isaac. Did I come in time?" She picked at a pair of sapphire bangles that were hanging from her wrists.

"Oh…Eliza! You came at a perfect time!" Isaac replied, motioning her inside and ignoring the snickers of his comrades. Yaleus gave a small wolf whistle as he walked past and Isaac replied by stamping his booted foot on top of Yaleus'. "Guys, this is Eliza. She's a non-magical healer so we can count on her for medicines and elixirs."

"Um…Hi everyone." Eliza bowed politely in front of everyone.

"Yo!" Sarai returned. "So this is the girl that's gonna help us get a new headquarters, right?"

"W-What?" Eliza stuttered.

"Sarai!" Isaac shot a glare at the blue-haired girl and gently led Eliza away from the rest of them. He motioned to a seat and sat opposite of her. "Um…Eliza, see, we're in kind of a bind here. Our original headquarters was destroyed and it's going to take quite some time for it to get repaired. If it could be repaired at all…" Isaac shook his head dismally. "Anyway, Raele, he's the bard over there, suggested that we find you because he said you could help us get a new base." He frowned.

"S-So…The only reason you were kind for me is because you needed me to get you a new base?" Eliza asked, looking hurt.

"No, no! Not at all!" Isaac said hastily. "Please, don't think of it that way. I'm…really sorry, Eliza."

"…" Eliza closed her eyes to think for a while. "That's okay, Isaac. I understand." She pushed herself off of her seat, drawing the attention of the mercenaries. "Um…I don't know if it will be okay…But you can use my house as your temporary headquarters…"

"Her house? How are we going to fit in it? I mean, I'm fine with sleeping on the floor…But it better one soft floor!" Yaleus shouted, grinning.

"Oh…Ah…Hmm…Well, I think there'll be enough space…" Eliza returned, frowning slightly.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure there's enough space." Isaac lifted his lance off of the wall. "Okay guys, let's go!"

_---_

"S-So, is this sufficient?" Eliza asked politely. "I hope it fits your expectations."

"Holy cow! It's like a castle!" Yaleus gaped at the giant mansion in front of him. "I call first dibs on a soft bed!" The green-haired swordsman jumped for joy, cheering.

"Stop acting so childishly! You're making Eliza blush." Sarai smacked Yaleus on the top of his head. Then she wrapped Isaac in an iron grip, sobbing happily. "It's so beautiful! I can't believe this!"

"Argh! Sarai! Get offa me!" Isaac struggled against the crossbow user, trying to shove her off of him. "Sarai! I'm the leader of this band! Off of me this instant!"

"No! You're too snuggly!" Sarai returned, shouting over Isaac's voice.

"Argh!"

"Now that we have a place to stay…Why not let me kiss you, if I may?" Raele bowed towards Mizu, gently lifting the laguz's soft hand towards his lips. "Your beauty is astounding…and my love for you is resounding."

"Ahh…" A heavy blush flew into Mizu's cheeks and she struggled with whether or not to let the bard kiss her. Unfortunately, she ran out of time, since Raele optimistically took her silence as a yes. The auburn haired catgirl flushed even more and felt her heart begin to pound. She stepped back from the bard, trying to calm herself down.

Raele brushed back his black hair and smiled at Mizu. He winked his green eye at her and strode off towards the mansion in front of him. "Farewell, my sweet dear. I just hope you'll always be near."

"Ah-heh…" Mizu cleared her throat and walked after Raele, trying not to blush again as she remembered the touch of his lips against her hand.

"Whew…Never thought in my whole life that I'd be living in a huge place like that, even temporarily." Thanas leaned against his axe, sighing happily. "Wow…I still can't believe this." The red-haired kid wiped a stray tear from his eyes.

"Hmmm…" Laisa strode past Thanas and paused. "I'm kind of suspicious…Why would she just offer us shelter? I don't trust her…"

"You don't trust anyone!" Rima chimed up from behind her, hopping excitedly. The thief jumped on Thanas' shoulders, causing the axe user to huff and lose his breath.

"R-Rima…Get off…of me…" Thanas gasped, staggering forward. "I'm not…strong enough…to carry you…"

"Awww…Come on, Thanas! Pleeeeaaase?" Rime pleaded from atop Thanas, gazing at him with wide, teary eyes.

"Urgh….F-Fine…" Thanas groaned as he stumbled towards the mansion, with a jubilant Rima on top of his shoulders. Laisa giggled a bit before following them inside. She couldn't explain it, but there was something cute about them, even if she didn't trust them all that much.

_---_

"Hey, what's this room?" Isaac pointed to a door on the long end of a corridor that had a plaque with a holy symbol adorned on it.

"Oh…Ah…Please don't go in there…And please tell your friends to not go in there either…It's…a private room." Eliza explained, looking around worriedly. The silver-haired girl plucked at her bangles again, her fingers twitching slightly.

"Oh…Okay, I understand. Don't worry about it." Isaac replied. "Thanks for letting us use your home. It really helps us out. We'll do our best to try not to inconvenience you that much." He walked away, his hands stuffed in his pockets. _'Another person involved…not that I mind much. But…sigh…I always thought this was going to be a one-man deal.'_

Eliza stayed to make sure that Isaac was out of sight before fleeing into the room and shutting the door behind her. When she cast a glance around her, she sighed with relief. _'This is home…This is where I belong…'_ Eliza drew the sapphire bangles off of her wrists and laid them on a table that was adorned with various types of jewelry. She kneeled in front of a small altar that had small sapphire and obsidian stones at the edges. "M-Master…?"

There was no reply and Eliza felt herself start to panic. _'What's wrong? Don't tell me that Master has abandoned me…Please…don't tell me…'_ The silver haired girl shook her head to clear out the negative thoughts. "M-Master…Please…Please answer me…"

"Eliza…What is it now, child?" Pravus' voice answered, filling Eliza with assurance and peace. "Have you done what I asked?"

"U-Um…P-Please master…You must give me some time…I. I…haven't found the Fire Emblem yet…" Eliza cringed. "Please…"

"That's okay, Eliza. I know how hard you work."

"T-Thank you, master…Thank you so much…" Eliza replied, tears popping out of her eyes. "I-Isaac is in here…He's inside the mansion, master…"

"Really?" Pravus sounded interested. "Hmm…Good work, Eliza…I can use this…Thank you for reporting this Eliza."

"I-It was m-my pleasure, master…" Eliza bowed one last time before fleeing from the room. Once she was outside, she placed a hand over her chest, trying to calm herself down so nobody would know how scared she felt. She swallowed deeply. _'Master…Oh master…Why…Please come soon…I need you…'_

_---_

Isaac walked into the living room of the mansion, which was big enough to qualify as a house in itself. All of the mercenaries were gathered there, chatting excitedly to each other. "Hey Sarai! How do things look?"

"Just perfect, boss!" Sarai returned. "We transformed one of the empty rooms into an armory, so all of our weapons are there. The kitchens are well-stocked and all of the bedrooms have been assigned. As the leader, of course, you get a room to yourself."

"…" Isaac quirked a small smile. "Okay, that's good. Only problem now is our low funds. We need new jobs and fast. Now, who wants to take a rest here for a while?"

Isaac frowned as nobody raised their hand. "Well…We do need someone to watch the home base, you know. And if nobody wants to volunteer…then I'll have to order people to watch. And you wouldn't want me to do that, now would you?"

"I suppose I can stay behind…and see what treasures I can find." Raele offered, examining his lute. "Mizu, perhaps you'd like to stay with me…And together one becomes we."

"I…Ah…S-Sure, okay Raele. That's fine with me." Mizu's ears twitched and she glanced at Raele shyly.

"Okay, that's good. Now we need two more people." Isaac looked at the sea of faces that were trying to avoid his gaze. "Rima and Yaleus, you'll round it out."

"Awww man! I wanted to go shopping!" Rima whined from her position on the couch.

"I think I know how you wanted to shop…" Yaleus muttered. "Sigh…Fine, fine. I'll stay. But none of you can have fun! That would just be too cruel."

"This isn't a picnic, Yaleus." Isaac frowned. "Okay, everyone else, let's go."

_---_

"Um…Isaac?"

"Oh, Eliza!" Isaac spun to face the shorter girl. "What is it? I couldn't ask you to come with us."

"Oh…Uh…No…I…I just wanted to wish you good luck." Eliza grasped Isaac's hands in hers. "So good luck, Isaac. I know you can do it…"

"Heh, thanks Eliza." Isaac smiled briefly before beginning to frown. He ran his fingers over Eliza's hands and glanced at the girl worriedly. "Your hands are freezing cold. Is something wrong?"

"Oh!" Eliza flushed and quickly withdrew her hands, hiding them behind her back. "It…It's nothing…Uh…Goodbye." She quickly dashed off, rubbing her hands furiously against her robes.

'_What was that all about?'_ Isaac thought. Shaking his head, he headed towards the Mercenary's Guild, hopefully to get another job.

_---_

"Isaac! Perfect timing! We've got a couple of jobs for you. They're all pretty small, so I'm certain you can take all of them at once." Boors raised up a mug of ale at the blond-haired mercenary.

"Thanks, what are they?" Isaac sat at the counter in front of Boors, accepting the glass that Boors handed to him. He took a glance inside and frowned. "Empty. Very funny, Boors. Give me some wine or something."

"Sure, sure." Boors drew out a bottle and handed it to Isaac. "Now, first job is a couple of mercs to protect a merchant convoy. They'll only need four or five. Next is a small group to be hired as part of a larger force to attack a bandit hideout. And finally, two bodyguards for some up-and-up politician who's going headed for Daein. Got the troop assignments?"

Isaac closed his eyes, thinking. "I'll get Laisa, Thanas, Mizu, and Raele for the merchant convoy. Yaleus, Rima, Anair, and Sarai can go to the hideout." He scratched at his head, muttering incomprehensibly to himself. "I'll take a rain check on the bodyguard job."

"What? But the job goes to Daein. I thought you would have loved to take the job." Boors looked confused.

"Oh…Yeah, I'd love to go back home. But my friends aren't going to expect for another couple of months…Actually, I'm not really sure myself." Isaac sighed. "I can't decide at all. I'm kinda afraid of coming off a failure. Eh, whatever. Might as well go. I could use a break from Crimea." He smiled faintly.

"Okay, good. Just get your people over here and I'll direct them to their destinations." Boors said. "Good luck."

"Thanks…" Isaac muttered.

"Just one question. Who's going with you? This job calls for two people."

"…" Isaac thought hard. "Well, there's nobody else left. I'll be taking Eliza with me." He wasn't sure whether he should be happy or upset.

_---_

"You guys got your assignments?" Isaac looked at the assembled troops. When he received an affirmative, Isaac sighed and sat down. "Okay, you can go." He buried his face in his hands and shook his head slightly.

"Huh? What's wrong, boss?" Sarai crouched over Isaac, looking worriedly over him.

"…" Isaac shook his head again. "It's nothing, Sarai. Get going Sarai. I know you'll do great."

"Well, okay Isaac." Sarai cast one last glance at Isaac before departing.

'_Why am I upset? I'm going home…Bah, it's nothing.'_ Isaac shook his head one last time before rising. "Eliza?"

"O-Oh…What is it?" The silver-haired girl peeked her head inside of the living room.

"There's one last job. I'd like it if you could go with me."

"R-Really? Well, okay. If you want me to come, I'll be glad to! Let me just get ready." Eliza disappeared again.

'_Phew…'_ Isaac checked all of his stuff. His spear was at his side, his supplies were on the floor, and the address was in his pocket.

"I'm ready…" Eliza reappeared, holding a slim-shafted lance and wearing a belt that carried all of her medicines. "I better leave my pegasus behind. I don't think it would be a good idea to bring him along."

"Well, okay." Isaac stood up and nudged a thumb towards the door. "Let's go. Let's just hope this job goes as easily as all the others."

* * *

Chris: Well, sorry for the delay, but I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks to all that submitted OCs and I hope I put them all in character. Thanks for the support! Oh, and review please too, cause that's always great. 


	5. Mission 5: Stream of Life

Chris: Well, I'm back with another chapter for you all. Yep. Totally awesome. Enjoy the chapter!

Note: Yes, FE characters will be making appearances. But this is still mainly an OC fic.

* * *

**Mission 5: Stream of Life**

After spending a couple of weeks on his assignment, Isaac was thoroughly convinced that the only reason his mercenaries had been hired was so that the politician could look good. What was worse was that the guy didn't even _need_ them. He had enough idiotic bodyguards and annoying suck-ups to make it illegal or something. The fact had only made Isaac hate this politician even more.

'_Sheesh…What I would give to be able to challenge him to a fight and beat the stuffing out of him.'_ Isaac thought to himself as he peeked out of the makeshift tent that had been provided to him.

The job itself wasn't that bad. Escort some guy to Daein. The bad parts came in the fact that it was so boring that you willed a meteor to crash down from the sky and destroy a couple of acres of land, just because it would look cool. Also, the minister's "friends" were so annoying, Isaac, on more than one occasion, had to restrain himself from shooting rocks into their eyes. And finally, the minister _himself_ was one of the most conceited, stuck-up, idiotic, oblivious pieces of lard he had ever seen. Okay, the last part wasn't all that true, since he wasn't a piece of lard. But it certainly was close enough.

"Hey Eliza, are you okay?" Isaac turned back to look at the silver-haired girl, who was lying on the fold-up cot with her eyes closed. The minister, in all of his gratuitous nature, had provided the both of them with just one tent and just one cot. Eliza yawned and blearily looked at Isaac.

"I'm f-fine…But…are all mercenary jobs this boring?"

"No, not at all." Isaac chuckled to himself and sighed. "Not at all. Just bad luck that you had to get stuck with me, huh?"

"O-Of course not!" Eliza sat up, her shining blue eyes wide open. "You d-don't mean that, do you? I like staying with you."

"Do you?" Isaac asked.

Eliza replied by nodding vigorously. She scrambled out of the cot and took his hand. "R-Really, Isaac…I can't explain it…but I like you."

"…" Isaac smiled softly at her. "Thanks. Go and get some sleep. I doubt we'll be doing anything else today, since Lord High-and-Mighty decided to rest for over half of the day."

"O-Okay." Eliza nodded before returning to the cot and closing her eyes. Within a couple of minutes, she was soundly asleep. Isaac sighed and stepped outside of the tent, looking around warily for any sign of trouble. When he didn't spot any, the mercenary decided it would be a good time to take in some cool, fresh air that only seemed to come out during the early evening.

He crept outside of the edges of the camp, snorting at the sight of the sleeping sentries, wondering how much more they were getting paid. The other bad thing about this job was that the politician was notoriously cheap and he was getting only one-thousand gold for the whole trip. Food and supplies were conveniently not provided to the mercenaries, so they had to use their pay in order to get everything they needed.

Isaac came to rest in front of a nice, circular pond. He leaned against a mossy tree-trunk that was lying near the bank of the lake and sighed, closing his eyes. It was times like these that he wished he could just freeze time indefinitely, so that he could savor the feelings for as long as he wanted. The blond-haired spearman yawned and covered his mouth with the palm of his hands. Sighing one more time, he settled down in the grass, intending to just rest his eyes.

_---_

Isaac's eyes snapped open and he looked around wildly. "Dammit, I didn't mean to sleep! They better not have left without me." He stood on his feet, only to find out that a thick fog had surrounded him and the only thing that was clear was the lake. Except, somehow, the lake had gained some features. There was now a large, trickling stream on one side of it, where the water seemed to flow as thick as molasses. And on the opposite of that was a sort of waterfall, except instead of splashing into the lake, the water seemed to just slide into it without a sound. The water from before the waterfall looked akin to rapids, except there were no rocks to explain its behavior.

"Where am I?" Isaac whispered to himself as he still looked around. He knew, somehow, that this stream was neverending. There was no set point where it would stop and there was no point where it began. It was just there, caught up in its own cycle until time would erode it away. Stricken with curiosity, Isaac decided to see what the heck the streams were. He decided to look at the one that led away from the lake.

It was clear water, but it seemed to be murky as well. It was as if something inside was clouding up the stream, yet he could see that there was nothing in the streambed that could logically explain it. Isaac reached out and touched the river…

_---_

"_Daddy, where are you going?" A young kid, not more than five, tugged at his father's sleeve. _

"_I'm going to fight, son. My country needs me and I must be there to answer the call." The father, a tall, muscular man holding a spear, bent down and smiled at his only son. "You watch the home with mommy, okay?"_

"_Yes, sir!" The kid grabbed a small branch from the ground and charged around willy-nilly, yelling warped forms of battle cries. When he was gone, the father looked up at the remaining figure._

"_Don't worry, I'll be back. I always am, remember?" He flashed a smile at his wife, who nodded tearfully._

"_May the blessings of Ashera be with you…"_

"_No…Don't let them be with just me. Let the blessings be with all of us."_

_---_

Isaac gasped and staggered backwards, his eyes tearing up. He scrubbed roughly at them before scrambling back towards the river and staring down at it. "Father? Father! Was that you?" He thrust his hand back into the river.

_---_

"_Here's my little warrior! How are you doing today?" Isaac's father now hefted a seven-year old Isaac up onto his shoulder. "Did you kill any monsters?"_

"_Yeah, yeah! I helped protect my friends when the monsters came! They're all safe now!" Isaac smiled broadly, giggling._

"_Well, that's about what I expected! Everyone knows that you're the best protector of our village around! Nobody would dare mess with us as long as you're here." The father placed Isaac on the ground and ruffled his hair. "Now go along and play. I have to talk with mommy for a while, okay?"_

"_Okay!" Isaac nodded eagerly before running off to join his friends._

"_Jonas…"_

"_Rebecca, dear. You've got to stop worrying. I don't plan on leaving your side for quite a while." Jonas smiled and gave his wife a peck on the cheek. "I'm back home and that's how I'd like to stay."_

_---_

Isaac shook his head, panting. He shuddered, clenching his fists angrily. "Enough of this! He's dead and that's that." Isaac shook his head. "I don't need to see more of that." He walked away from the slow stream and walked up to the other side of the lake, where the rushing water blasted past him, shoot spray into his face.

Bending over to peer in the water, he could see that it was crystal clear, with nothing obstructing his vision. But in some instances, the water would suddenly hop. That is, the current would shift in a completely new direction before changing back to its original course. Isaac braced himself as he stuck his hand in this portion of the stream.

_---_

"_Mai?" _

"_What is it, boss?" A redhead of medium height and pale skin looked up at the mercenary leader. She smirked. "Don't tell me you're afraid that Sarai is in danger. You know better than that. She can handle herself, even if she isn't in our group anymore."_

"_Grr, I know that!" Isaac grumbled. "Still, that doesn't stop me from worrying. I don't like this at all, how she splintered off and formed her own band. True, she said she wouldn't fight against us…But if you look at us, we're an appetizing picture. And with the…" He shook his head. "Nevermind. I'm dwelling on the negative."_

"_Of course you are. If you didn't, you wouldn't be our boss." Mai stood up, still smiling. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have archery practice." She waved at another girl, this one with long, wavy blond hair, and ran up to her._

"…_Hmph…" Isaac folded his arms. "I…really don't like this at all."_

_---_

Isaac's eyes snapped open again. "I…I don't remember this. Let me try again…" He glanced suspiciously at the water before choosing another spot, which seemed to stand out from all the others.

_---_

"_, I…I don't know how to say this…" _

"_Say what?"_

"_Grr…Nevermind. I don't even know why I thought of this anyway. Forget about it."_

"_No, no. Tell me. Maybe I can help…"_

"…_You know…when you start feeling weird? When you look at someone and think that you wouldn't mind having that person around for the rest of your life? Well…I've felt that way and…I've felt that way about you."_

"_O-Oh…"_

"_So…Will you stay with me? Forever?"_

"_Of course, Isaac, I will." _

---

Isaac gasped. That last one was just so strange. "I heard the voices…At least I heard mine…But I can't recognize the girl's voice! I couldn't see anything…It was just the voices…and the name of the girl…The name is missing! I just saw a vision of me proposing to someone and I don't even know who it is!" The blond-haired teenager shook his head rapidly, trying to clear his thoughts. "Obviously, these are visions for the future, just like that other stream has visions of the past."

He walked to the pool thoughtfully, looking down in its depths. It carried the qualities of both streams, that is, slightly murky but still crystal clear. "Then this must be the present…"

He knelt down by the lake and prepared to stick his hand in the cold water. But as he was doing so, he noticed that his hand was shaking uncontrollably. Muttering a few calming words to himself, he slowly slid his hand into the pond and prepared himself for whatever that he would see.

_---_

"Groan…This is tougher work than I thought…" Thanas panted as he stacked another heavy crate into the covered wagon. "I thought this was an escort mission, not an escort and help carry heavy boxes mission." The young boy wiped sweat from his eyes, looking at the others. "What do you guys think?"

"This work completely blows. I'm sweating and it really shows." Raele said as he collapsed in the shade of a nearby tree. He tried futilely to fan himself with his lute and when that didn't work, he just occupied himself by murmuring a couple of incomprehensible words to himself.

"Um…Raele…Are you thirsty?" Mizu came up to the black-haired bard, holding two glasses of juice. "I got one for you."

"Ah, dear Mizu, you truly are sweet! You've brought me the cure to this sweltering heat!" He gratefully accepted the glass and drained its contents in one gulp. Sighing in relief, he blew a kiss towards the cat laguz before settling back down in the shade.

Thanas looked enviously at Raele as he struggled to lift the last box into the wagon. The red-haired kid could only grunt as he shoved the wooden crate inside, thankful that he had finished his task. It would be only a couple of more minutes before their employers returned and Thanas was going to savor every second of his break, however short it may be.

"Thanas?"

"Huh? Laisa?" Thanas looked up from his resting spot at the crimson-haired mage, who was holding another one of the glasses. "What's up?"

"I thought you might be thirsty, so I brought you a drink." Laisa handed the cup to Thanas, who accepted it.

"…Don't you need this? I mean, you've been working too. You _have_ to be as tired as I am." He handed the glass back, lacing his fingers of his stomach and closing his eyes. "Thanks a lot, Laisa. You drink it. I'm too tired to bother drinking anything now anyway."

Laisa eyed him suspiciously for all of a second before smiling softly and nodding, taking small sips from the glass. She sat next to Thanas, careful to not get her robes dirty or ripped. Her azure-blue eyes scanned the surroundings suspiciously before she closed them and began to take a nap.

"Arrr…Don't the young un's look mighty pretty? Wouldn't you agree, boys?" A tall, ragged man wearing a suit of word leather armor leaped out of a couple of bushes, holding a battle-scarred sword. "I suspect they might like it if we just put them to sleep, permanently!"

In a couple of seconds, the four mercenaries found that they were surrounded by at least ten bandits. One of the smaller gangs, to be sure, but still dangerous and they had close to a three-to-one advantage. Thanas scrambled upwards, reaching for his axe, only to find out that it was already in the possession of one of the brigands. Biting off a curse, he looked around for another weapon and quickly snatched a tree branch from the ground.

"Now, now, a kid like you shouldn't have such coarse language." The leader of the bandits replied, chuckling hoarsely. "Go get them!"

"Hey, watch out!" Laisa elbowed Thanas out of the way of an arrow that had been shot from one of the trees. Calling elemental energy to her hands, he shot a gust of wind at where the arrow had been launched, blasting the archer out of his hiding spot and depositing him on the ground with a large thud.

Mizu already had transformed into her beast form and was busy facing off against the bandit who had taken possession of Thanas' hatchet. She used her superior speed to sneak past the bandit's guard and quickly drove a claw into the man's throat, killing him. Grabbing the haft of the axe with her teeth, she tossed it at Thanas, who dropped his club and caught the short one-handed axe.

"Do we really have to fight? After all, you all know that I'm in the right." Raele was busy talking to two of the bandits, playing on his lute. The two brigands were staring at him confusedly, uncertain of what to do. "Keep your weapons trained on me, because you never know what the eyes can see!" He ran his fingers down the strings and there was a bright flash of light. When the light dissipated, one of the bandits was already dead and three images of Raele were advancing towards the last brigand. "As you can see, you friend has bit the dust. You can continue fighting, if you must."

However, even though Raele and Mizu were holding their own, the bandit leader knew where the team was weakest and directed all of his forces towards Thanas and Laisa, the youngest and most likely least experienced of the mercenaries. The two of them were backed up against the wagon, with Thanas in front, holding his axe in a heavily defensive position.

Laisa launched a wind spell from behind Thanas' back, blasting another one of the brigands into the tree and relieving the odds slightly. However, it would come off as too little when the bandits launched their attack. A sword swept down at Thanas' head and he quickly blocked it with his axe. While he was doing that, however, another brigand slashed him on the side, causing him to gasp in pain and slacken his grip on his axe. He was knocked backwards into the wagon, coughing and leaving Laisa wide open for the bandits to attack.

The crimson-haired mage stifled a shout of anger and flipped her wind tome in front of her, using her magic to keep it afloat. Quickly moving her fingers in a series of intricate symbols, she clapped her hands together, palms first. _"Eryke tith uron makyn rolama pulsus, procella!"_

A curving arc of wind flew from her hands and launched into the initial wave of brigands, crushing them all against each other and rendering them all unconscious. However, the magic had its price, as Laisa's tome disintegrated into dust, leaving her defenseless and completely at the mercy of the bandit leader, which was the only person left.

"You did a mighty fine trick, lassie. But I'm afraid you're parlor games won't hurt me!" He jumped up in the air and brought his sword down for a crushing blow on Laisa's head. The mage looked at him helplessly. She was too tired to even move out of the way.

_CLANG!_

"Thanas!" Laisa cried, seeing the red-haired boy strain against the leader's superior strength. He was busy holding the sword off with the haft of his axe, with both of his hands pressed against it. Thanas grunted with exertion and with a final push, managed to knock back the bandit.

"Come on, kid. Just us two…I'll show you how a _real_ man fights!" The bandit leader let out a yell and sword his sword down at Thanas, who sidestepped and swung his axe at his enemy's back. He was too slow, however, and his axe just passed through air. The leader recovered his advantage and laid blow after blow on Thanas, some of them blocked and some of them passing his defense and striking the red-haired boy.

Thanas staggered backwards, balancing precariously on his axe and staring at the leader. All of his adrenaline had already been burned off. He was tired, bleeding, and there was no way he would be able to defeat his opponent. Steadying himself, he lifted his axe from the floor and held it in front of him, staring at his opponent with only exhaustion in his eyes.

"You put up a good fight, but not good enough! I'm not going to even dignify you by killing you!" The bandit leader swung his fist straight at Thanas' stomach, knocking the air out of his chest and sending him crashing onto the ground. He turned to Laisa, slowly walking up to the girl. "And now for you."

She gulped. "S-Stay away! Now! I mean it!"

"Hah hah! You expect me to listen to you? I suspect you'd make a nice hostage. You're coming with me gir-" His words cut off at a gurgle as he sank to one knee, Thanas' hatchet in his back.

"You…should have…killed me…" Thanas panted as he sank to his knees and collapsed.

"Fool…kid…I'm not…done yet…" The leader's breath escaped with a sigh as he fell also, dead.

"Thanas!" Laisa rushed to his side, looking at him worriedly. "Thanas!" She rummaged through her side bag for any medicines that she had with her. She dug out a small vial of clear liquid encased in a blue bottle. Hurriedly turning over his body, she opened his mouth and poured in a little of the clear solution. "Drink this, Thanas! Please! Don't die!" She poured down a little more of the solution when the bottle exploded in her hand. Turning around, she saw that there was one last bandit that they had missed.

The archer notched another arrow and aimed it at Laisa. The mage could only stare at it, frozen by indecision and fright. The archer let out a mocking laugh and aimed the arrow straight at Laisa's heart.

Laisa watched the archer in some sort of slow motion, knowing that she would die. It wasn't fair. Thanas' attempts to protect her would end in vain. The archer released the arrow and Laisa closed her eyes. Even though she had seen many things…she still couldn't stand to watch her own death…

* * *

Chris: Ooooh…What will happen next? Only I know! MWAHAHAHAH! Just kidding. Anyway, I hope you liked it and review please! Comments and advice are always welcome! 


	6. Mission 6: Attack!

Chris: I'm sorry for the cliffhanger, but I felt evil when I was writing that last chapter. Anyway, here's the conclusion to that last chapter! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Mission 6: Attack!**

Just as the arrow was about to pierce Laisa's body, Mizu jumped onto the scene and caught the arrow in her mouth. Growling angrily, she snapped the arrow in between her teeth and slowly stalked closer to the lone archer. Raele rushed onto the scene and knelt next to Thanas.

Flashing a small smile at the crimson-haired mage, he drew a small bag of healing ointments. "Don't not worry, my pretty friend. Thanas has not yet met his final end." Raele began spreading the putrid-smelling paste over Thanas' wounds and the boy squirmed in his arms. Laisa carefully took Thanas out of Raele's hands and looked at the bard helplessly.

"Go help Mizu…You have a weapon. I don't." Laisa whispered as she removed the ointments from Raele's hand. She looked down at Thanas, remembering how he had protected her while they were under attack. Her hands began shaking slightly and she had to put down the bag just in case she spilled the contents. "Thanas…"

Mizu yowled and slashed across the archer's chest. The archer staggered backwards, bloody marks appearing on his skin. Raele came up from behind him and clocked him on the head with his lute, hard. The archer collapsed on the ground like a sack of potatoes and Raele looked at his lute admiringly. "Ah…What a trusty weapon."

"Thank you, Thanas…" Laisa whispered under her breath as she used up the last of the salve. "Thank you so much…"

_---_

"Guys!" Isaac shouted breathlessly as the vision faded from his eyes. He wiped away sweat that had accumulated from the vision. The blond-haired mercenary took a deep breath, trying to banish dark thoughts from his mind. They were okay and his friends were in no trouble for the moment. He looked at the pond again. A small portion of it was rippling angrily, creating small crests on the mirror-like surface. Against the more intelligent part of his mind, he dipped his hand into the angry part and prepared himself for what would happen next.

_---_

"Hmph! They wouldn't even listen to me!" Rima pouted as she rejoined the rest of her comrades outside of the bandit hideout. "Spoilsports! I could kick their ass in any type of strategy!" The brown-haired thief plopped onto the dirty floor.

"Really, huh?" Anair quirked an eye at her. "I'd have to disagree with that. I haven't see much of what you've done, but you don't look at all impressive. Hmph, not like one person would matter, since we're all going to die."

"What's wrong, Anair? Didn't take your happiness pill?" Sarai smirked, winding up her crossbow. "And no offense to you, but you don't look so hot yourself."

"Wanna try me?" Anair challenged, her bright-green eyes flashing. "I'll shoot off the string of your crossbow before you even _think_ of firing."

"Don't want to interrupt your female bonding moments here, but we've got our assignments. Let's move out, people. We can't let Isaac down and I'm pretty certain having someone die through bickering will definitely let him down." Yaleus walked up, tossing small packs to the others. The green-haired swordsman grabbed his weapon from the rack and flashed a smile. "Don't want to keep him waiting."

_---_

"Smart move, Sarai. Now we're doomed." Anair grumbled under her breath as they hid behind a couple of barrels down a dead-end corridor. The archer took one quick peek over their barrier, only to have an arrow fly past her head and embed into the wall opposite her. "Shit!"

"How was I supposed to know there were some partying brigands in that room? Besides, it already looks like we were put in the path of most danger. Just like those bastards to hire mercenaries to take most of the hits." Sarai spat, holding her crossbow up to her shoulder.

"How many more minutes till you think they'll charge?" Anair asked.

"Not long now. They know we're the only two here. I can't believe we got split up with Rima and Yaleus." The blue-haired girl let out a little sigh. "Oh well. It's been fun…"

"Hmph, I'm not going to die, no matter how bad the odds are." The lavender-white haired girl pulled out an arrow from out quiver and notched it on her bow. "Ready to go? I like to fight with a bang."

"A bang, huh? I can help you with that."

"Oh yeah. Bang bang, girls. Speaking of bangs…You two have some pretty good knockers, you know that?"

"_What?" _Anair cried out, reflexively putting an arm over her breasts as a protective measure. Kneeling in front of her were two characters. One was holding some sort of strange equipment and smiling. The other one was a young kid with shaggy brown hair that was tied up in a green bandanna. The kid grappled a pair of daggers and winked at Anair, although his expression betrayed a slight measure of nervousness.

"Perhaps we haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Zane Thunai and this is my partner, Wesley Vivendi." The first person, a slim man with spiky blond hair and a strange looking belt across his chest, nodded at the two girls.

"Oh yeah. I'm a thief, good with sneaking around. He's a womanizer, good in the bed." Wesley cracked a smile and winced when Zane's hand found the back of his head and knocking him down to the ground.

"He's also good with the jokes, however bad they might be." Zane grumbled.

"Um, yeah. Thanks for the intros and all, but could you two please leave us alone? We're in big enough trouble without you butting in our business." Anair snapped, trying to regain her lost focus. The archer glared at Wesley, who was pointing at her breasts and nudging Zane.

"Whoa, sorry girl, but we're in a bit of a jam here. We just planned a little thieving raid…" Zane let out a sheepish laugh. "But apparently our plans just collided with the military attack!"

"Yeah, glad to hear it, but the brigands don't look to happy! If you want to help, you might as well do it now!" Sarai said frantically, taking another quick look over their barrel barricade. "What can you do to help?"

"Oh…Well, if you want to fight with a bang, nothing is better than me." Zane grinned and hefted his instrument. "The thing I'm holding is an arquebus. Designed it myself. Not what you would call the fastest or strongest weapon, but if you want to distract or scare people, it does the job mighty well." He motioned to the weapon. It was some sort of metal pipe that was connected to a straight haft of wood to which a knife was attached. There was a little handle at the end, presumably for holding purposes.

"Then let's see what that hunk of junk does. Unless it gets fueled by hot air. Then by all means, continue talking." Anair replied, smirking slightly.

"Well then, give me a couple of seconds…" Zane muttered to himself as he stuffed a small steel ball into the hole of the pipe. Stuffing a long metal rod into the contraption, he let out a satisfied sigh before throwing the rod away into his pack.

"He's like that with women too." Wesley cracked, earning him another smack by Zane.

"All set." Zane said before aiming the weapon at the brigands, who were beginning to advance. "You might want to cover your ears. Fire!" He pressed a small lever connected to the handle of the arquebus and was immediately blown backwards by the recoil, landing into Wesley.

The sound that erupted was deafening. Sarai and Anair, who had heeded Zane's advice, felt like their ears had exploded from the noise. It had the same effect on the bandits, who were now scurrying around, having temporarily lost their hearing. Sarai and Anair quickly dispatched them with their arrows, now that they were in no danger of retaliation.

"Thanks for your help." Sarai nodded to Zane, who blushed and rubbed the back of his head. Anair chose not to say anything and contented herself by checking the condition of her bowstring. "How can we repay you?"

"Oh, since I suppose you two are from a mercenary group, how about letting me and Wesley join? It'll be fun and we haven't had the best of luck with freelance jobs lately." Zane chuckled and cuffed his partner on the head. "Don't mess with the nice lady, Wesley."

"Sorry, Zane." He bowed his head, the headband falling to cover his eyes. "By Ashera, I've been blinded by her good looks!"

"Enough with the jokes and get serious. We're still in danger, you know." Anair scolded, lifting the headband off of Wesley's eyes.

"Bah, a little danger never scared us." He scoffed, motioning to Zane. "We're the bravest of the brave and only crazy people and girls on their off days scare us." He picked at his baggy clothes, trying to make them look a little more presentable.

"…" Anair frowned before shaking her head dismally. "What have we gotten into now?"

_---_

"What have we gotten ourselves into now?" Yaleus muttered, unconsciously echoing Anair's thoughts. He stared at the black-winged man in front of him. "Let me get this straight. You're going to help us out, just as long as we give you three thousand gold? Sounds kinda steep for a simple break and bail mission."

"So? Pay up or else I'll leave you for the brigands to kill." The raven laguz folded his arms, looking sternly at Yaleus. "Is there some problem with that?"

"Grrr…You've got a deal. Strut your stuff, raven." Yaleus shook hands with the laguz and folded his arms. "Let's see what you can do, Aran."

"My pleasure." Aran replied before folding his arms over his chest and letting out an inhuman squawk. In a couple of seconds, he had completely morphed into his raven form and was hovering over their heads. Clacking his razored beak for a while, he let out a raucous caw before flying out to find some prey.

"Well, I guess this'll have to be good enough." Rima leaned against a wall, clutching a bleeding arm. "Dammit, this is what happens when you don't follow my plans. This is the worst mission ever."

"You've only been on two and one of them doesn't even count." Yaleus replied. "How's your bandage holding up?"

"Good enough. Sheesh, Pravus take those fools that designed the strategy for this attack." Rima cursed under her breath. She sank to the ground, shuddering slightly. Her loose thieving clothes were pretty much torn into rags and her knife was covered with so many recent dents that it would be a surprise if it lasted the rest of the day.

"True…I echo your sentiments…" Yaleus muttered, looking dismally at his ruined sheath. In order to beat a hasty retreat, he had been forced to use his sheath as a weapon, thus pretty much destroying the sheath. He carried his sword free of his sheath now, the blade slick with blood. "I'm not sure if it's wise to call upon Pravus, though."

"Why not? He's just a legend. It's not like he's even real." Rima sighed. "Just like Ashera. They never show up. Why should we believe they're even real? Pravus, god of evil, yeah right." The thief snorted.

"They might not be real, but you never know." Yaleus shrugged. "Just taking it cautiously."

"I'm done." Aran returned in his human form, his hands covered with blood and his clothes not looking much cleaner. "Let's go."

"That was quick." Yaleus said.

"You pay for good service." Aran replied, wiping some of the slick red fluid off of his arms. "Ready?"

"Yeah, let me just find our other two companions and we'll be all set to leave." Yaleus replied as he gazed at the raven suspiciously. Granted, being mistrusting of others was Laisa's job, but something still bothered him about this raven. Maybe it was the fact that he had come across them in the middle of the fight and offered no hints as to his motives or desires. Shrugging mentally, Yaleus continued on his way, with Rima and Aran following him.

_---_

It wasn't until a couple of more hours before the mercenaries had finally regrouped. There was cheering all around when they found out that there had been no casualties, at least for them. The newcomers were introduced to the rest of the group and greetings were made. In the case of Wesley, however, Anair held him up by his ear and began berating him for cracking another inappropriate joke.

"Ow, ow! Let me go! This hurts!" Wesley whined as he struggled in Anair's stronger grip. "Okay, okay! No more jokes! Ow!"

"Good! But don't expect me to believe you. I'm going to keep a close watch over you." Anair grimaced.

"You like me that much, huh? I knew I was hot, but man you really want me!" Wesley cried before the archer slammed him into the ground roughly. "Ow, crap! My nose!"

"Serves you right." Anair huffed, flushing in embarrassment. She clapped dust off of her hands and glared at the snickering mercenaries. "You all hush up!"

_---_

Isaac returned back to his surroundings, blinking his eyes and slightly disoriented. He shook his head before letting out a yawn and standing up. "I guess I've seen all I really need to. Everyone is safe and nothing went terribly wrong. Now…How do I get out of here?"

"I can help you in that endeavor." A comforting, slightly sleepy sounding voice echoed around him. Isaac was immediately put on his guard and he gripped his spear cautiously.

"Who are you?" He called out to the air, looking around and spotting no one. The mercenary waved his spear threateningly in the air, although he knew that he probably looked extremely stupid. "Answer me!"

"I'm your friend…You want to leave…right?"

"Yeah? How did you know?"

"I know everything that goes around here. I am the Keeper of the Stream, one who watches over the currents of time and guards them to make sure no one tampers with the past, present, or future. May I ask who you are?"

"I am Isaac. Tell me how to get out of here…Now."

"Impatience…I used to be impatient…But when watching time, there is no need for hastiness. Just stay with me for a while and I'll teach you all you need to know."

"No, that's okay." Isaac replied, starting to feel suspicious. "Just tell me how to get out of here and I'll gladly take my leave."

"Why should I do that? You have already tampered with my springs…Why should you go free?" The voice carried a mocking tone in it, although it still was sleepy.

"That was a mistake. I just found myself here. How was I supposed to know?" Isaac protested.

"I guess I can forgive that fault. But I'm so tired…I wonder if you could wait for a while…"

"Unfortunately, I can't. Can you please tell me how to get out of here?"

"Gladly. This stream is only accessible by those who can dream the most vivid of images. Simply close your eyes and imagine where you were before you entered this place and you shall be free. If you wish to re-enter, then you just have to imagine this place again."

"Thanks for the tip. I'll be seeing you." Isaac closed his eyes and immediately disappeared, leaving the voice alone.

"Hehehe…" The voice lost its qualities, now turning dark and twisted. "Dear Isaac…Eliza was right in staying with you. Now I have both of you in my grip. You, Isaac, in my stranglehold over time. And sweet Eliza in her dreams. None of them will realize that I'm just pulling the strings…"

* * *

Chris: I hope you enjoyed that chapter! Don't forget to leave any tips or comments in a review! Thanks for reading!

Note: Since you might be wondering where I got Pravus from, Pravus is Latin for depraved, wicked, evil, and perverse.

And since Alora Skye requested an OC sheet…Here we go.

**Name of Person Who Submitted – **Name of OC/Class

**SomepersonXP – **Laisa/Mage  
**JSB – **Raele Elkew/Bard  
**Black Nights – **Aran/Raven Laguz  
**Asterick – **Cyrus/Myrmidon  
**Douceur – **Anair/Archer  
**Blazing Fool – **Wesley Vivendi/Thief

All the rest, of course, belong to me so I can torture them. Just kidding.


	7. Mission 7: Adjustments

Chris: Well, I'm glad you all like it so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

* * *

**Mission 7: Adjustments**

Isaac headed back to the politician's camp and was relieved to see that they hadn't left yet. It was late in the evening and most of the people had already fallen asleep. Sneaking inside of his tent, he saw Eliza lying on the cot, sleeping soundly. A small smile graced his face and he spent a couple of moments watching her, thinking about how beautiful she looked.

"Mmm…Mother…No…" Eliza tossed in her cot, her expression turning pained and fearful. Her silver hair flew across her face as she thrashed in the cot, mumbling incomprehensible words. Isaac walked towards her and looked at Eliza concernedly.

"Eliza?" He kneeled and gently took her hand. She calmed slightly, only to continue moaning and tossing in her sleep. "Eliza, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Please…Stop! Stop it!" Eliza shrieked as her eyes snapped open. She flung a fist out and clouted Isaac on the side on the head, knocking him away. Panting and wide-eyed, she took a couple of moments to catch her breath. Wiping away a cold sweat with shaking hands, she looked around her and spotted Isaac.

"Ouch…" Isaac groaned, tenderly feeling the sore spot on his head. "Eliza, you hit hard…" The blond haired mercenary picked himself up and looked down at Eliza, who was looking at him in fright.

"I-I'm sorry, Isaac! I was just having a nightmare and-"

"I know, I know. Don't worry about it, Eliza. Just don't hit me next time." Isaac groaned and sat down on the ground. "Go back to sleep, Eliza. Don't worry about nightmares. I'll be here to protect you."

"You will?" Eliza asked wonderingly. "Oh…Then that's great…" She closed her eyes and went back to sleep. She quickly fell into a peaceful slumber and Isaac sighed in relief. Closing his eyes as well, Isaac crouched near the entrance of the tent, his spear lying against his shoulder.

_---_

"Isaac isn't back yet?" Sarai asked worriedly, looking around Eliza's house. "It would make sense that his job would take longer than others, since it's a round trip from Daein." She plopped down on one of the sofas and rested her eyes.

"Looks like Sarai has the hots for the leader!" Wesley grinned as he strode in. Looking behind him, he bowed deeply as Anair entered. "Ah, the goddess of beauty herself!"

"Out of my way, pipsqueak." Anair grumbled as she brushed past the thief. "I'm still not forgiving you for that prank you pulled. Peeking at me in the shower…I can't believe you did that."

"It was a mistake! I was just checking for termites and I happened to find a hole that they bore in the wall!" Wesley protested. "Besides, how could I afford to lose the chance to see one of the best bodies in all of Tellius!"

Anair blushed and stalked off, ignoring him. She brushed back her lavender-white hair and straightened out her shirt, muttering threats under her breath. Wesley watched her leave, a small smile on his lips. Then, noticing the other people inside the building, he waved to all of them. "My name is Wesley Vivendi and this is my partner, Zane Thunai."

"Nice to meet you all." Zane walked in, hefted his gun over his shoulder. A small bag at his side jingled with the sound of gold coins. The pay-off for the bandit attack had been very high indeed. Twenty-thousand gold and since he had (mostly) played a major part in the fight, he was given seventy-five hundred gold as his and Wesley's share. Combined with his earlier savings, he had accumulated over ten-thousand gold.

"And this cheery fellow is Aran." Yaleus gestured towards the dark-green haired raven laguz. "If you can't notice, his hair is around the same color as mine. He's joined us on a commission basis. That is, he always gets a percentage of the cut."

"Like I said, you have to pay for the best." Aran replied, his brown eyes staring out at the assembled mercenaries.

"Never let it be said that I, Raele Elkew, never denied any new visitors to our merry band of mercenaries." The bard stood up and nodded to all of them. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. Let our friendship never fall."

"Hi…" Laisa murmured as she looked up at him. Her azure eyes were slightly teary and her hands were shaking slightly. She quickly tucked her hands within her robes and looked at the ground, her face expressionless. The crimson haired mage stood up quickly and walked away.

"It's nice to meet you." Mizu stood up and curtseyed to them, her auburn furred ears twitching. She sat back down next to Raele, who kissed her on the cheek. Flushing, she pushed the bard away and tried to calm down herself down. "Oh, there's another person…but he got injured in the last job and can't be here right now."

"Oh, I understand." Wesley grinned. "Wow, I think I'll like it here. Lots of pretty girls. And I must say, Anair is the prettiest of them all."

"Heh, make sure she doesn't hear you." Sarai chuckled. "Don't know her that well, but I don't think she takes kindly to having relationships. She doesn't seem like the romantic type."

"I see…Thanks for the tip." Wesley returned, still smiling. "She's just in denial. I'm certain that she'll soon fall for my roguish charms." He bowed slightly, his blue eyes shining.

"Hey Wesley, we've got to go." Zane said, grabbing hold of the younger thief. "It's nice to meet you all, but I've got some business."

"Oh…Right. If we're not home by evening…Well, let's just say that he's acquainting himself with a beautiful, receptive person of the opposite gender." Wesley smirked, then smiled as he spotted Anair entering the room again.

"…" Anair frowned at the thief, looking at him self-consciously. "No wise-cracks, Wesley. I'm getting tired of them and it's only been a week."

"Fine, fine." The thief heaved a sigh. "Even _I_ have to make sacrifices for my love."

"I said no more wise-cracks! No more jokes!" Anair said heatedly.

"I never cracked a wise before in my life. And who said I was joking?" Wesley winked at the archer and followed after his partner. Anair looked after him, stunned.

'_He's joking…Right? He has to be joking. Right?'_

-_--_

"Are you sure about this? Why do you care about this girl so much anyway? She's just a girl at the brothel. What? Find out she's your long lost sister?" Wesley asked as he and Zane strode towards a decorative building near the edges of the capital.

"Wesley, shut up just this once." Zane replied, tucking his arquebus under his shoulder. "She means nothing to me. I just want to get her out of a life like that. Remember? I didn't have to rescue you from that orphanage."

"True…" Wesley conceded. He looked solemnly at the ground, picking at his thief's clothes. "Sigh…It's strange traveling with everyone. They seem to trust each other so much. I…feel out of place over there. I never wanted to be a thief." He smiled. "Oh well. You don't always get what you want."

"I'm sure you'll at least get a girl you want." Zane grinned and ruffled the younger boy's hair. "Speaking of which, _do_ you have an eye on one of the girls in camp?"

"Yeah…" Wesley flushed self-consciously. "But she doesn't like me, so that doesn't matter." He smiled again. "Heh, I don't care. Can't let something as petty as that faze me. I'm sure there's someone else."

"…" Zane looked down at his companion, at a loss for words. "I know how you feel, Wesley. You don't have to hide anything."

"Hide anything?" Wesley looked innocently at his partner. "I'm not hiding anything. Stop worrying and get your gal out of there. I'll be waiting outside. Maybe I'll find something interesting out here."

"Okay Wesley…But remember, I'm your friend. You can talk to me." Zane said before entering the brothel. Wesley watched his friend leave and sighed. Running a hand through his tousled brown hair, he looked out in the distance, his eyes becoming unfocused.

'…_Sigh…Everything is just fine…I wonder, can I find love too? An abandoned child? A lying thief? Probably not. Anair…I better stop thinking about her. I have business to do.'_ Wesley took one of the side roads, confident that his partner's task would take a lot more time than his would take. Last he remembered, his old orphanage was around here…

_---_

"Zane! You're back! You were here just last night. Same girl?" The brothel owner, a portly man with piggy eyes and a wide smile, looked behind a counter at the mercenary.

"No…I've come to purchase here. I have the money." Zane brought out his money pouch and dumped all of his gold out in front of the man. The mercenary waited while the owner counted each of the gold pieces.

"Ah…Ten-thousand gold. Perfect. She's all yours, Zane. Enjoy her." The man smirked. "Although I know you won't enjoy her in the traditional sense. Good luck, my friend, and give her a good life. I'd give her to you free, but I need my money. Sorry, Zane."

"It's no problem, buddy. Thanks for not letting her sell herself to anyone. Still a virgin, right?"

"Yeah, of course. Same room, room 12. Here's the key." The owner tossed a small brass key at Zane. The blond-haired man caught it deftly and strode towards the room and unlocked it. "Aura?"

"Z-Zane?" A young, 16-year old girl with flowing purple hair looked up from her bed. "Is that you?" She stood up, her hands folded across her stomach. "I don't suppose…"

"Yep." Zane smiled roguishly at her and patted her on the head. "You're finally free, Aura. You don't have to stay here anymore."

"Really? Oh, thank you Zane! Thank you so much!" She jumped on the taller man, tears coursing down her face. "I can't ever thank you enough!"

"Whoa! Aura! Don't get all sentimental on me! Besides, I still want you to come from me. I'm working with a mercenary group right now. I'm sure they'd enjoy your singing and dancing." Zane pried the jubilant girl off of him, smiling.

"O-Oh…I don't know." Aura flushed self-consciously. "I don't know if I'm good enough. And what else can I do to help? I can't fight…Although I'm sure you could teach me something."

"I could…but firing a gun isn't the smartest thing to teach a girl. Maybe someone else'll teach you something." Zane took Aura under his arm. "And I've heard you sing and seen you dance. You're good enough for them, Aura. Don't worry about a thing."

"Okay!" Aura nodded enthusiastically. "Zane? Thanks a lot. It really means a lot to me that you gave your own money to free me from here."

"Hey, it's just money. You, however, can't be replaced." Zane ran a hand through her hair and slowly led her outside. Standing outside was Wesley, wearing an enigmatic smile and holding a small bag that jangled as he tossed it in his hand. "Hey, what's that?"

"Just my dues…" Wesley smirked, tucking the bag inside a bigger pocket in his clothes. "It's nothing you should be worried about. I was just…revisiting old places and discovering all that I missed. Come on, let's go. Now that you've got your girl, I bet you'll want to get busy inside your tent." He bowed slightly and walked towards the camp.

Zane watched his friend, confused. Wesley had never acted like that before. As they headed for the camp, however, the blond-haired man spotted his friend sliding a bloodstained dagger within its sheath…

_---_

"Hey…Wesley was just joking, right?" Anair looked at Sarai, frowning. "He has got to be joking. I mean, he certainly couldn't have been talking about me."

"Oh yeah. He was totally talking about the other Anair. You know, the tall one with the blue hair." Sarai snorted, blowing a wisp of air at a loose strand of hair. "Anair, don't be stupid. There's no other Anair besides you."

"Hmph…Well, fine. It doesn't matter." Anair stood up, her bright emerald eyes flashing. "I…don't care for his words. Not one bit." She stalked off, muttering under her breath. Sarai listened to her friend leave before snorting again and amusing herself by counting the number of wood panels in the floor.

"Sarai?" Laisa walked up to theblue haired girl, looking thoughtful. "Thanas…was very brave, wasn't he?"

"Of course he was! I wasn't there myself, but from what I've heard, he was brave indeed. You're lucky you got such a dedicated guy protecting you." Sarai replied.

"That's just the problem!" Laisa said helplessly. "I don't know if I can trust him! I've never trusted anyone! But…He saved me! I don't know how I've supposed to feel. I...I feel like…like I want to trust him. But another part of me just…just forces the trust away. I feel so helpless, Sarai. I don't know what to do!"

"Laisa, just think about it. Thanas is a cute kid and I'm certain that he likes you or at least feels a deep sense of loyalty towards you. If you like them, then like him. Screw your principles of not trusting anyone. If you want to love someone, you have to trust him first." Sarai grinned. "Good luck, Laisa. I'll be here if you want to talk."

"Thanks, Sarai." Laisa stood up and smiled briefly. "I needed that. If you want me, I'll be checking over Thanas' wounds."

"You go do that." Sarai replied, smiling.

"Sarai!" Anair walked back into the room, still looking troubled. Sarai stifled a groan and looked up at the archer.

"Grrr…Anair, as much as I enjoy your presence, can you please tell me why you've come asking me for help five times in the last thirty minutes?"

Anair looked shameful. "I'm sorry…But I'm just troubled. I've never had these feelings before. Nobody's ever tried so hard to get me to like them."

"I can't imagine why…" Sarai muttered under her breath.

"I'm so confused, Sarai. What should I say to him?"

"Just be yourself, Anair. Decide whether or not you like him by yourself. I can't help you with that. Keep it steady for a while. If he still likes you, then that means he's genuinely in love with you. If not, then it was just a sham and you don't have to do anything." Sarai advised. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm tired and I really, _really_ want to sleep."

"Thanks again, Sarai…I'll try your advice…" Anair said. She sighed in confusion and strode off. Sarai closed her eyes and lay down on the couch. Being a romance counselor was hard, hard work and she was tired.

_---_

"Hey Wesley. Where'd you get the blood on your dagger?" Zane asked pleasantly as they headed back for the mansion that they would now call home.

The thief faltered in his steps. "What are you talking about? I got it at the fight at the bandit's hideout, remember? I thought you knew these things, man." Wesley spun and smiled at Zane, although his grin slowly faded from his cheerful face.

"You washed your dagger, Wesley. If there's something that you're meticulous about, it's keeping your equipment clean." Zane said. "And no equipment cracks!"

"Wasn't going to say one." Wesley replied, looking at his partner curiously.

"So, tell me. Why is there blood on your dagger?" Zane asked, keeping the conversation on its original track. "You can't hide it from me, Wesley. You did something."

"Hey, perhaps we could discuss this out of earshot of your girlfriend?" Wesley motioned to Aura. "I don't think she'd like what I have to say."

"Okay. Aura, can you wait for a little while?"

Aura nodded and stepped off to the side. Wesley pulled Zane off to the side and withdrew his dagger, which was still coated in blood. "Is this what you were talking about?"

"Yes. What is that?" Zane motioned, running a finger over the crimson fluid. "Blood, obviously…But from where?"

"A thief decided to accost me. I decided to relieve him of his belongings and his life." Wesley replied, smiling. He sheathed the dagger back into its sheath. "Do you believe me now?"

"Actually, no." Zane smiled pleasantly. "Like I said, Wesley, I know you. I can tell when you're lying and you're lying right now. You killed your foster parents, didn't you?"

"What are you talking about?" Wesley protested, frowning. "You're crazy, Zane. Don't be stupid."

"I'm not, Wesley. Own up. I have no more patience for lies at the moment and Aura is waiting. You killed them." Zane said. It was a fact, not an accusation.

Wesley's eyes flared for a moment and he grimaced, his hand tightening around the grip of his dagger. "So what? They deserved it. Those bastards had it coming. Serves them right for treating me the way they did. I didn't have to become a thief. I could have been something else. They forced me to become a thief, Zane!"

"I hated stealing! But how else was I going to live? Huh, Zane? Answer me! I had to become a thief! There was no other path for me." Wesley's eyes shut and tears peeked out of the sides. "I hated them! This was my revenge and they deserved it! You know that bag I had? All the money I ever had to steal…They took it from me and took it for themselves! I had nothing, Zane! And I never will! Nobody cares about a thief!"

"Wesley…"

"Shut up! You don't care either! You don't care! Anair doesn't care! _Nobody cares about me!_" Wesley screamed in anguish. The brown-haired thief turned to run away, but Zane grasped him by the arm and restrained him.

"Wesley…"

"Let me go!"

"No. You're being stupid, Wesley. I agree. Your foster parents deserved to die and by all rights, I don't look down on you for what you've done. But you're going overboard about this, Wesley." Zane said in a patient voice.

"…Hehehe. I was just lying, you know." He wiped away the tears and grinned at Zane. "Just testing you, Zane. I know people care about me." He let out a short laugh and ran a hand through his scruffy hair. "I know that…"

Zane poked his younger partner in the back. "Hey, Wesley."

"What?"

"I know when you're lying…And when you were talking about Anair, you weren't lying." Zane ruffled the thief's hair and grinned. "Good luck, Wesley. You'll need it with her."

Wesley grinned, his eyes shining. "Thanks a lot, Zane. Don't worry about me. I'm always lucky."

* * *

Chris: Well, did you like it? This was more of a character expansion chapter than a storyline chapter. Anyway, leave any comments or tips and review please! 

P.S. I'm having so much fun with this that I'm actually imagining this as a game. (Sadly enough.) It's getting so bad that I'm actually making supports for the OCs. Ask if you want the ones that I have. The Sarai/Anair supports are already on the Fire Emblem Writer's Guild boards.


	8. Mission 8: Wickedness

Chris: Welcome to a new chapter! To all that have been reading faithfully, thank you very much and I hope you continue enjoying this story. And because I'm getting way too interested in this, thinking of it like a game, I actually have four different endings planned for the story. The only problem is deciding which to choose…Oh well. I'll think of something. Now on with the story!

* * *

**Mission 8: Wickedness**

A couple of more weeks passed and the politician's party finally reached the country of Daein. Now dismissed from service, Isaac decided to go visit his friends and family along with Eliza. Bidding a farewell to the politician (and mouthing curses under his breath), Isaac and Eliza headed near the border of Daein towards his village.

Along the road, Isaac picked up some gossip about the status of Daein. Ever since the death of Mad King Ashnard, Daein had broken down into anarchy, with each town or village doing its best to stay alive. Even when Isaac had left, the country still had no ruling party and maintained its lawless environment. The capital was nothing more than a ruin, filled with thieves and bandits. The grain fields were barely getting back on their feet and most of the populace was starving. Isaac remained solemn during the trip, thinking of how much money it would require to put Daein back to remnant of what it used to be.

"Isaac…Are you feeling okay?" Eliza asked they traveled another worn-out dirt road. Her hands were twisted nervously around the shawl that she wore around her neck.

"Hmm?" Isaac murmured, his thoughts wandering somewhere else. The pony-tailed mercenary looked straight ahead, a frown on his face that deepened every time he saw another mark of poverty and destruction. "Oh, I'm fine, Eliza. Don't worry."

"If you say so…" Eliza replied, looking back down on the ground. She was getting slightly irritated by the unnerving silence and she looked up again, hoping to start another conversation. Isaac stopped her, however, and pointed to a small dot in the distance. "What is that?"

"My home town. Don't say that you're from Begnion. Some of my friends still hold grudges from the war." Isaac said before starting on the trek again.

Eliza nodded. "Okay. But…what _should_ I say if they ask me where I'm from?"

"Simple. Lie." Isaac said, walking forward. Eliza pouted girlishly, but she continued following him into the village.

_---_

"Isaac! You're returned!" A tall, light haired man stepped off of his position as sentry and walked out to greet the mercenary. "How's life been treating you?"

"Fair enough. Good to see you again." Isaac switched his spear to his other hand and patted his friend on the back. "Anything important I should know of?"

"Nope, except ever-present bandit raid. It's a good thing you taught us how to combat them."

Isaac shrugged. "I just did what was best for our people. Oh, this is Eliza. I met her on my travels." He motioned to the healer, who curtseyed.

"Hi. It's a pleasure to meet you." She bowed her head respectfully, causing her silver hair to fall in waves over her chest. When she straightened, she saw that a crowd had gathered, causing a small flicker of fear. Eliza tamped down hard on it, however, trusting Isaac to not lead her into anything dangerous.

"Nice looking girl, Isaac. Have any romantic interests in her?" The gatekeeper smirked.

Isaac shook his head. "Not at the moment. Don't think about it." He pushed the laughing man aside and walked up to the others that had gathered. "Good to see you all but get back to your business. I'm not a national figure, people." He waved away all the onlookers, leaving only two people behind.

"I'm glad you're still alive, Isaac." Isaac's mother, Rebecca, walked up to her son and enfolded him in a tight hug. Isaac dropped his spear and hugged her as well.

"I'm…glad you're alive too, mom." Isaac said, his voice catching slightly. Eliza looked at him in surprise. In all of the time she had been with him, she had never seen the blond haired mercenary show this much emotion ever.

Rebecca released Isaac and looked at her son proudly. "You look so much stronger, Isaac. I know your father would be proud of you. You still wield his spear, I see."

"Yes." Isaac nodded. "How's everyone doing?"

"Nothing happens." Rebecca chuckled. "Everyone is actually trying to hear of news about you, Isaac. You're the pride and joy of this village."

"Hmph…" Isaac grumbled, rubbing the back of his head self-conciously. "I don't need anything like that. I'm just doing my best to help you guys out. Anything on the capital?"

"It's the same…The chances of anyone taking power is slim to none." Rebecca shook her silvery-blond hair sadly. "Oh, you might not know this, but your childhood friend Maya has been hoping you would return. She's been keeping an eye and ear out for news on you."

"She has?" Isaac asked as he looked around. He quickly spotted the shy, brown haired girl, who was standing to the side. Maya gave him a quick wave, blushing heavily.

"Yep. She's been faithfully waiting for you all this time, you know." Rebecca raised an eye to her son. "Don't make her sad, son. She cares a lot about you."

"I won't." Isaac nodded. "Tell her I care about her too. I still remember the times where we'd play as soldiers in the army. Heh, actually, I'd be the soldier and she'd be the healer." Isaac shook his head ruefully. "Tell her I plan on staying for a couple of days while I take care of some business."

"I will, son. I'm glad you're back."

"Me too."

_---_

That night, the villager hosted a party for Isaac. Protesting, the mercenary was dragged into the center of the crowd to receive the accolades of his friends and family. Eliza was dragged along as well and together, the two set the backdrop for the evening. Delicious smells wafted from the city square, where food was prepared and wine was passed around. Isaac sat at the center, looking uncomfortably ahead as the villagers toasted him. He looked around to see if Maya or Eliza could spare him from this embarrassment, but they were nowhere to be seen. Isaac resigned himself for a long, long evening.

"Maya, is it?" Eliza walked up to the villager, a small smile gracing her face. "I'm Eliza, Isaac's friend." She held out her hand, which Maya accepted.

"Nice to meet you." Maya smiled as well, her green eyes sparkling. Because of the party atmosphere, she had dressed in her good clothes, which consisted of a lacy, pink blouse and a short, pleated skirt. "Um…Has Isaac been doing well?"

"Oh, he's doing fine." Eliza said. "He's really amazing, isn't he?"

Maya flushed. "Yes…He is." She cast a suspicious glace at Eliza. "You haven't…um…You aren't…"

"Huh?" Eliza caught onto the connotation and laughed. "Oh no! Of course not! I wouldn't do anything so bold. Besides, Isaac has more important things on his mind other than taking a lover."

"Y-Yes. You're right. Hehe, what am I talking about?" Maya chuckled nervously. The shy girl flushed again and prepared to leave, but Eliza took her gently by the arm.

"I just have a question for you, Maya." Eliza's blue eyes sparked for a moment and Maya shuddered slightly. She couldn't explain it, but there was something different about Eliza now. She seemed more…cunning, wicked. Maya couldn't explain it, however, and kept her feelings to herself.

"What is it?" Maya asked, starting to feel uncomfortable. She withdrew her arm out of Eliza's grip and frowned slightly.

"Oh…I was just wondering…Are you a religious person?" Eliza asked, her voice soothing and calming. "Don't worry about your answer. I just want to know."

"Um…I pray to Ashera…There isn't another god, is there?"

"Oh, but there is. The other god is Pravus. I assume you've heard of him?" Eliza cocked her head to the side innocently, but Maya could see that her eyes were glinting with greed.

"Well, yes." Maya nodded, feeling even more uncomfortable. Talk of religion always made her nervous. "What does this have to do with Isaac?"

"It doesn't." Eliza moved closer and her eyes flashed again. Mirroring them, Maya's eyes flashed as well and the green-eyed girl grew limp. Eliza smiled and looked around furtively. No one was paying attention to the two of them and Eliza moved close to Maya.

"You hate Isaac, don't you? Deep down, you despise him for leaving you." Eliza whispered.

"Yes…I despise him." Maya echoed, her tone flat.

"You want to kill him, don't you?"

"I want to kill him…"

"Good." Eliza slipped out a small, bronze-edged dagger and placed the hilt in Maya's hand. "You will kill him tonight with this, okay?"

"Of course…"

"Good…You will make Pravus happy with you if you do so." Eliza patted Maya on the shoulder and moved away. "He will be very pleased."

"Yes…I serve the god…" Maya intoned, holding the dagger tightly in her hand.

Eliza smiled one last time and snapped her fingers. The light came back to Maya's eyes and she looked around dazedly, confused. "What were we just talking about?"

"Oh, just talking about Isaac." Eliza smirked and patted Maya on the arm. "You look tired. Why don't you go rest?"

"Yeah…I do feel strangely tired…That's good advice, Eliza." Maya shook her head and stumbled off, the dagger hanging in her hand. Eliza watched her go, her arms folded and a wide smile on her face. Another convert to her god and she would be able to complete her mission. But, for some strange reason, she felt vaguely uneasy. Eliza shrugged it away. She was made only to serve her god. Nothing else mattered.

_---_

That night, Isaac tossed on his bed, unable to sleep. The night air was hot and felt heavy and the mercenary was coated in sweat. Finally, tossing off the bed covers, he got off of the mattress and shook his head. "Grr…What a night? Why is it like this? Daein nights are never this hot."

He pushed back wet strands of his ponytail and turned, hearing movement by the doorway. Squinting, he tried to identify the figure. "Maya? Is that you?"

"Yes…" Her voice was strangely flat, but Isaac was too tired to notice it.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be asleep?" Isaac wiped sleep sand from his eyes.

"I should, shouldn't I? But I have a job to do." Maya walked into the room and Isaac saw that she held a dagger in her hand.

"And what is this job?" Isaac asked, slightly suspicious.

"To kill you!" Maya yelled as she rushed him, swinging her dagger at his chest. Isaac managed to dodge, but the dagger scraped his arm and he felt it slowly growing numb. The mercenary found himself against the wall, with Maya slowly advancing.

"Maya, what the hell are you doing?" Isaac said as he dodged another strike. Maya didn't answer as she swung at him again, scraping his side. Wincing, Isaac knew that the blade of the dagger was poisoned, as his arm grew even weaker. Maya struck again, her eyes wide and crazed. But even with his weakened state, Isaac was still stronger than his friend and he blocked her strike and knocked the dagger out of her grip.

Tripping her with his leg, Isaac trapped her on the floor. Maya struggled fiercely, trying to bite him. "Maya! Why are you doing this?"

Something within her changed and her eyes regained her color. "I can't help it! Someone is making me do this!"

"Who, Maya?" Isaac asked fiercely.

"A god, Isaac! How do you fight against a god?" Maya's eyes filled with tears as she continued to struggle. "How do you fight against a god!"

"Who is the god?"

Maya's mouth opened to answer him, but instead of an answer, she let out an inhuman shriek. She grew still for less than a second and suddenly disappeared, causing Isaac to drop to the floor. The mercenary shook his head in pain and staggered back to his bed. His arm was killing him and now his side was hurting. Panting in pain, Isaac closed his eyes. He fell into unconsciousness.

_---_

"I see that you're back, young Isaac…" The sleepy voice of the Guardian stirred Isaac awake.

"Guardian…" Isaac looked around and saw himself back at the stream. "Why am I back here? I never imagined this place."

"Oh, I brought you here. I wanted your help in an important matter."

"What is it?" Isaac replied. In this…dream world, he didn't seem to suffer from any of the adverse effects that he had suffered in the real world. He felt strangely detached from the real world after seeing his childhood friend try to kill him.

"There are some people that want to destroy this place…To control it. I need your help to fend them off. I would fight them myself…but I cannot fight."

"Fine." Isaac looked to the side and saw his spear lying next to him. He grabbed it and stood up. "So where are these villains?"

"Just wait…They'll soon be here…"

The Guardian's words rang true. In a couple of moments, a couple of figures appeared in the fog and Isaac ran up to confront them. What he saw surprised him. He doubted that four girls dressed in monk robes could control anything. Still, their helpless demeanor could just be a disguise.

"Halt, what is your business here?" Isaac held up his spear in a defensive maneuver.

"Young man…We are servants of the goddess Ashera. We have come to dispel the evil influence that the opposing god, Pravus, has over this realm." The lead woman bowed to Isaac and he lowered his spear.

"Don't listen to them…They're lying." The Guardian answered.

"Don't deceive this man with your lies, Pravus! Reveal your true form!"

"Hah! Don't make me laugh! Why don't you reveal _your_ true form?"

"Shut up!" Isaac roared, hoping to stop the annoying and probably worthless argument that loomed ahead. Surprisingly, both the Guardian and the servants of Ashera seized fighting. Breathing heavily, he looked between the Guardian's shifting form to the four women standing in front of him. "Listen up. I don't know which one of you is right and frankly, I don't care."

One of the women gave him a disdainful look, which he ignored. "I want no business in the dealings of gods. I'm a simple mercenary and at the moment, what I want most is rest!"

"Very well, young Isaac. But let it be known that you alone control the fate of your country." The lead woman said.

Isaac paused for a moment. "Whether that's true or not, I don't know. But solve your problems on your own time, not on mine. I'm out of here." He closed his eyes and envisioned his room back in Daein. When he opened them again, he saw that he was still in the dream world. "Why can't I leave?"

"Because you can't. If you haven't noticed, Pravus is preventing you from departing." The lead woman said. "Now, if you'll help us settle this matter…"

Isaac suppressed a sigh. "If I have no choice…"

"You always have a choice. Never forget that."

_---_

"Where…Where am I?" Maya asked fearfully as she looked around her. She was in some sort of cave and the flames near the walls gave the place an eerie and evil glow. The shy, brown haired girl stood up, shaking in fear as she saw that she was trapped. Recent events were overwhelming her. "H-Hello?"

"Ah, you're finally awake." A man appeared out of thin air. He had short, black hair and a sly, heart-breaking face. He was tall and slim, showing no muscles but still looking strong nonetheless. The strangest part of him was the fact that his eyes were a dark violet and they gleamed wickedly as he looked over his prize. "You failed me, Maya."

"W-What are you talking about?" Maya whimpered as she crept backwards from the man. She felt her back collide with the wall and she stood, scared out of her wits. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't kill Isaac, like I told you to. That makes you a very bad girl." He laughed mockingly. "How can you fight against a god, Maya? How can you fight against a god?"

She gulped. Those were her exact words when she had fought against Isaac. She now knew she was looking into the face of Pravus. "What do you want with me?"

"You know what I want. I promised you everything if you managed to destroy him. But you didn't."

"I could never kill Isaac!" Maya said bravely. "I love him!"

"Ah…Love. What a fantastic thing love is. Oh well. Love or not, you will destroy him in the end." Pravus chuckled again. "Now, Maya…sleep. Just sleep and let me change you. I'll change you into something strong. You'll be able to kill Isaac…"

"I don't want to!" Maya screamed.

"It doesn't matter what you want. All that matters is what I want." Pravus crept closed and drew out a spiked whip from a belt on his waist. "Say goodbye to your old life, Maya. From now on, you serve me as one of my soldiers. A demon."

Maya shivered and sank to the floor, whimpering. As she felt the whip strike her back, she let out a sharp cry and tears fell from her eyes. "I-Isaac…"

Blood leaked out of her wounds as the whip lashed her on the back over and over again. Maya quickly fell into unconsciousness and Pravus stood over her unmoving body. Chanting a couple of words, a smile graced the god's face. Maya slowly rose, her skin pale and lifeless. The smile grew even wider and he let out of a small laugh.

Soon, his laugh filled the whole cave and right beside it, Maya's laugh soon joined it…

* * *

Chris: I hope you enjoyed that chapter. And, of course, you learn more about the god, Pravus. Review please! 


	9. Mission 9: Relief

Chris: Glad you all like it, so here's another chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I still don't own the copyright of Fire Emblem. Oh how I wish I did.

**

* * *

Mission 9: Relief**

"So do we have it settled? Both of you show your true forms." Isaac stated, his arms folded across his chest. His head was throbbing like hell and the only thing he truly wanted to do was to leave so he could peacefully sleep. It seemed like hours had passed, with barely any progress. The Guardian was adamant in saying that the women were servants of evil and the women were just as adamant in saying that the Guardian was actually Pravus in disguise. It was like arguing with little children.

"Forget it!" All traces of sleepiness had deserted the Guardian's tone as he fiercely refused. "I will not show my true form to servants of darkness! That's how they'll kill me!"

"**Shut up!** I'm tired of hearing your excuses!" Isaac roared, stamping the butt of his spear onto the dirt. "If you don't reveal your form, then I'll just have to assume that you are Pravus and I won't hesitate to slide my spear into your body!"

"Grr…" There was a sharp snap of light and Isaac felt that the Guardian's presence had disappeared. The blond haired mercenary let out a tired sigh and sank to the ground.

"Looks like he was Pravus after all…" Isaac mumbled.

"Yes, I was!" Two arms reached out of nowhere and tightened around Isaac's neck. Isaac gasped in pain and wrestled against the dark god's grip, trying to escape before he got suffocated. As the edges of his sight slowly dimmed, he faintly heard chanting before he finally blacked out.

_---_

When his sight returned, the first thing he saw were the four maidens from earlier, bending over him with concern on their faces. His throat was aching so much and it hurt to breathe. Slowly pushing himself up, he blinked dazedly and let out a fierce cough and filled his body with more pain than he ever thought was possible.

"Stay still…Pravus did quite a number to your throat…"

"Think I haven't noticed that?" Isaac rasped angrily. He blinked a couple of times to focus his gaze and looked at the four priestesses. "What did you do to him?"

"We banished him." The leader said solemnly. "I thank you for your help, however reluctant it may have been." A small smile flitted on her lips.

"Yeah, yeah…Can I go now?" He sighed and closed his eyes. He was just so tired after all that time and he was worried what was going to happen back in Daein once they found out that Maya had disappeared. To himself, Isaac resolved to not tell anyone about the attack. It was pretty obvious that she was being forced to attack him against her will.

"Of course, young child. Thank you for your work, Isaac. May the blessings of Ashera go with you."

"Yeah, yeah." Isaac sighed and felt the dream world beginning to fade. "May Ashera be with all of us…"

"Before you leave, Isaac, I have something to give to you. Just to let you know that you aren't alone."

"I know that." He snapped. "I assume I'll be able to see it when I get back to the real world?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'll thank you there." Isaac muttered. "Sigh…What a day, what a day…"

_---_

"Are you okay?" A sweet, female voice woke Isaac from his sleep. The mercenary shook his head sleepily before realizing he was back in his room, with a numb arm and a throbbing side. Groaning, Isaac blinked open his eyes. The first thing he saw was a young, teal haired girl leaning over him. His eyes opened wider and he backed up, only to find out he was lying against his bed.

"Who are the hell are you?" Isaac grumbled, not feeling much better from his jaunt to the dream world. Instead of a sore throat, his arm was numb and his side was killing him. Not literally, of course, but it hurt enough for him to wish that it _was_ killing him.

"Hmph, the head priestess wanted me to come with you." She looked at Isaac disdainfully. It was from that expression that Isaac remembered where he had seen her before.

"You're that girl that was glaring at me!" Isaac shouted, pointing at her. "Great, Miss High-and-Mighty. Just want I need."

"You shut up! I didn't want to come here anyway, but the head priestess said it would be good for me!" She retorted, standing up. "If you don't want me, then I might as well leave. Good bye!"

"Wait, wait." Isaac gritted his teeth. "I'm…sorry for my harsh words, but I haven't had the greatest times of my life in the past day. I'd really appreciate it if you would stick around with me. At least for a while." He held out his hand to the cleric.

She looked relieved as she took his hand in hers. "Thank you. I'm sorry for my attitude as well. My name is Shirley Merina."

Isaac couldn't help noticing that she had a sweet smile and that her hand was so much smaller than his. Releasing a heavy breath, he tried to stand up, only to topple over when his leg buckled under him. Wincing, he sank back into a sitting position, his eyes shut.

"Don't move." Shirley held her hands over the wound in Isaac's side and closed her eyes, whispering a couple of words. Isaac felt the wound slowly close and relief flowed through his body.

"Thanks. That feels really good. Even though it's only magic, it still is pretty amazing how it works." Isaac mumbled to himself.

Shirley overheard him and a small smirk worked its way onto her face. Patting Isaac on the shoulder, she stood up. "Okay, that's good. Wait for a couple of moments for the poison to wear off and you should be just fine. Then we can head back to your base, right? I can't explain, but this place has a…corrupted feeling to it."

"Isaac, are you okay?" Eliza opened the door to his room and froze when he saw Shirley. "And just _who_ is this?"

"I'm Shirley." The cleric's teal hair fell across her eyes, shadowing the look of revulsion that was showing there. One of her hands dipped into the pockets of her robe and she was frowning.

"A cleric of Ashera, huh?" Eliza muttered angrily. She stalked towards Isaac and possessively grabbed his arm. Eliza stuck her tongue at Shirley and cuddled closer to the mercenary.

"Wha? Eliza, what are you doing?" Isaac protested, struggling out of her grip. "Sheesh, she's just going to join our mercenary band for a while, okay? Don't get so upset."

"Fine." Eliza grumbled, her blue eyes sparking with anger. "But I swear, if you make one move towards Isaac, I will kill you."

"…" Shirley just grimaced and shook her head. "Isaac, I'll be waiting outside. I'm not welcome in here, it seems." She strode outside the room, her head held high.

"Eliza, what's wrong with you?" Isaac yelled, turning on the young girl. "You have no say on who I like and who I don't like! Leave her alone. She was just trying to help me, okay? Sheesh…" Isaac brushed back his ponytail and stalked off to say his farewells to his mother.

Eliza remained standing in Isaac's room, a frown on her face. _'A cleric of Ashera…here. Pravus won't be happy. I'll have to drive her away. I just hope she doesn't know about my connection with the god. This is becoming way too much trouble.'_

_---_

"I wish you weren't leaving this quickly, son. Maya will be heartbroken." Rebecca said, clasping Isaac's hands in her own.

Isaac flinched slightly. Apparently, nobody had noticed that Maya had disappeared. Nodding, he tried to keep worry out of his voice. "I'm sorry…But that's how things go. I promise to be back soon, though."

"That's good to hear." Rebecca wiped tears from her eyes. "Farewell…"

"Bye mom."

_---_

"You are pathetic, Caroline! We brought you here to learn how you could learn how to be the best merchant in the whole world! You have to take over the family business, Caroline. Even though you're only a girl, we expect you to do your best!"

"…"Caroline Michaels, a young, sixteen year-old girl with long, dark-chocolate colored hair, frowned. She blinked her light-purple eyes and remained silent throughout her father's tirade. _'I'm so tired…Every day…Every mistake I do, I get yelled at. I'm tired of it…'_

"Are you listening to me? I am your father, Caroline! You should listen when I speak!"

Caroline nodded, her hands tightened into fists. _'Here it comes…Next he'll tell me all the troubles he went through. That when he was a child, he studied so hard to get to where he was today. Can't he see that I don't want to be a merchant? It's too closed in the city. I want to be free! I want to go where I wish! But why can't I say it? Why?'_

"Please listen, Caroline. You are my only child, my only daughter. I just want the best for you. When I was young, I didn't have any of the things that you enjoyed. I had to work for everything. You're smart and strong and you're very lucky compared to other children."

She sighed. _'There it is…It's making me sick, and I don't even know why. Maybe it's because I heard him say those exact same words for at least twenty times.'_

"I can see that you aren't listening." Her father stood up, grimacing. He motioned to one of his subordinates. "I'm tired of speaking to you. He'll have to discipline you now. I'm your father, Caroline. Never forget that I'm the one with the power."

'_Huh?'_ Caroline started in her seat. This was completely different from what happened last time. The man that now stomped towards her was a hulking brute, who probably had less brains than the bugs that she had squished under her shoe. "What's he for?"

"You finally open your mouth. He's there to discipline you." Her father walked away.

The next moment engraved itself into Caroline's memory forever. A fist flew out of nowhere and collided with her stomach, knocking her off the chair. She sprawled onto the floor, feeling like she needed to throw up. The same hand picked her up and threw her against a wall. Caroline coughed up blood as she fell to the floor.

'_Please…let it stop…'_ Caroline thought dimly as she was clouted in the face. The world turned black and she tumbled to the floor, looking like nothing more than limp bundle of clothes.

_---_

The world came back into Caroline's sight and the first sensations she felt was flaring pain across her face. Her right arm was aching immensely and she needed to throw up. Crawling to a wall, she emptied the contents of her stomach and fell back, collapsing onto the floor. Tears of pain appeared in her eyes and she winced at the amount of pain it caused for her to just wipe them away.

'_How could Dad just do this to me? That's it…I'm tired of living here. I'm getting out. Maybe I can find some mercenary work or something. My dad did teach me how to fight on horseback…Only good thing that I paid attention to…'_ She shrieked as she tried to pick herself up, accidentally using her right hand.

"Ow…Ow…" Caroline whimpered, looking at the arm.

'_It's a good thing I'm left handed.'_ She thought dazedly. Caroline looked around and was slightly pleased to see that she was back in her room. At least she would be able to pack for her trip. Hopefully, she would be able to find healing at one of the temples to Ashera. Tears came to her eyes as she realized that she would be leaving the only home she had ever known in the world. Her resolve to leave almost collapsed, but she steeled herself by remembering her punishment earlier.

After a couple of moments, she was all finished. She had packed a change of clothes, her money, and a couple of trinkets and jewelry that she would be able to sell if she needed even more money. Caroline paused as she looked at a picture of her with her friends. _'I won't be able to see them again…I'll miss all of them.'_

She was prepared to leave when she saw a small silver ring glinting on a counter. Stepping towards it and wincing as pain occasionally flickered through her body, she picked it up with her uninjured hand. It was a simple thing, with no adornment. She wondered why she had kept it for so long. It was just a gift from an old friend who had to leave a long time ago. She wondered where he was at this moment, if he was thinking of her. She had given him an exact copy, saying that the rings would allow them to stay connected forever.

Grimacing, she stuffed the ring in her pocket, keeping it for sentimental value. With one last look, she turned to leave. A stray thought crossed her mind. With all of the things she had taken, the room had taken a more impersonal feel. It was as if she had never been in there before. It was just some girl's room. It was like she never existed at all.

_---_

"Hush…Coriander…Don't make a lot of sounds…" Caroline whispered to her horse as she patted it softly. She strapped a lance to a hook to the side of her hose and mounted him. Cooing to him, she rode out of the stables. The guardsmen around the mansion's gate allowed her to leave and she took her first step of freedom. It was scary. She would no longer have her parents to depend on, nor would she have the leisure to do whatever she wanted. She would have to do everything by herself. But along with the fear, there was a sort of exhilaration.

Caroline took a deep breath and smiled. Even with all of her pain, she felt reborn as a new person. True, she was still in the capital of Begnion, Sienne, but it was probably the first time she was outside without any of her father's bodyguards. Smiling to herself, she urged her horse forward into the crowd, eager to take her first steps out into the country.

_---_

"Excuse me…Sorry…Just passing through…" A young monk from the church of Ashera passed through the streets of Sienne, apologizing as he accidentally bumped into a couple of people. He was deep in thought and not paying any attention to where he was going, which might explain why he bumped into a horse. His head snapped upwards as he saw the horse rear back and toss its rider off of its back.

Acting quickly, he caught the rider before he could hit the ground. Panting from exertion, he noticed a couple of things. One, the rider was actually a girl, not a guy. Second, she was glaring at him with an expression that could only be described as pure loathing. Third, she was covered in bruises and her right arm hung at an awkward angle. Ignoring the look, he helped the rider stand.

"I'm dreadfully sorry. I'm afraid that I just wasn't watching where I was going." He bowed low, then paused as he noticed something about this girl. "If I may so bold, would you enjoy some companionship on your journey? It's a long way from here to Crimea."

"What are you talking about?" The girl said haughtily, her eyes betraying her panic. "What makes you think I am going to Crimea?"

"Well, you are dressed in traveler's gear and while they seem more high-class than normal, it's pretty obvious you are departing on a journey. Second, there is a lance strapped to your horse, signifying that you might be expecting battle. Third, where else are you going to travel? Daein?"

"So what if I'm going to Crimea?" She said hastily, afraid of being caught. "Don't stop me! I'm tired of living here, so I'm leaving!"

"Very well. Like I said, let me go with you." The monk offered. "I've traveled to Crimea before so I have some knowledge of the surroundings. I have my own reasons for leaving this country and I doubt they are much better than yours." He smiled bitterly.

She glared down at the monk. "Fine, but don't complain if you get tired. Let's go."

"Might I ask for your name?"

"Caroline Michaels."

"Kyril Saliden." The monk lowered the hood of his robes, revealing an open, honest face that was marred by some suffering and a mop of red hair that set off his green-yellow eyes. He gestured towards the exit of the city and bowed. "Perhaps we can leave now?"

"…Fine." Caroline mounted her horse again. "I don't suppose you know healing magic."

"I'm sorry. I only know basic light spells that were taught to me by Ashera. I do have some medicine, if you need it."

"…" Caroline stared at the monk for a while and smiled briefly. "Thank you."

* * *

Chris: Another chapter for all of you! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Three new characters make appearances and…uh…yeah! Next chapter is gonna be fun, though. See you next time and review please! 


	10. Mission 10: Celebration

Chris: Welcome back to a new chapter! Now, to those who are expecting storyline advancement…Uh, sorry, but this is more of a fun filler than a true storyline chapter. Just some fun for all of the mercenaries before returning to their jobs.

Note: Raele's song is an altered version of Roy Orbison's song, Pretty Woman. Blame my dad for getting the soundtrack. Aura's song, however, is mine. Not that I'm exactly one-hundred percent proud of it…

* * *

**Mission 10: Celebration**

"Hey, hey! I heard from Boors that Isaac is coming back!" Rima dashed into the band headquarters, a bright smile on her small face. The short thief immediately leaped on top of Yaleus, whose legs buckled as he collapsed onto the ground. Rima jumped off of the swordsman. "Oops, sorry!"

"Ow…I'm just _so_ happy you decided to break my back." Yaleus let out a woof sound and put a hand on his aching backside. The green haired swordsman groaned as he stood up. Glaring at the thief, he hauled her over his shoulder and began carrying her towards the living room.

"Hey, let me go you big lummox! Just because I'm small doesn't mean you can't haul me around like a sack of grain!" Rima beat helplessly against Yaleus, but the tall swordsman showed no mercy.

"Now, tell your news to them." Yaleus slung Rima on Thanas' lap. The young boy looked surprised at the sudden burden on his legs and he reflexively pushed Rima off.

"Just because I healed does not mean you can throw things on top of me." He grumbled, running a hand through his red hair. "It still hurts."

"So, what's this news you have for us?" Sarai asked, sprawled across another couch. She held a small bottle of water and took slow sips out of it as she waited for Rima to tell her what had made her so excited.

"Isaac is coming back!"

Sarai spit out her water in surprise, splashing Wesley across the face. The brown haired thief recoiled in disgust, warding away any other spurts of water with his hands. Sarai said up, ignoring Wesley's protests.

"Isaac is gonna be back soon? Hahaha, that is awesome!" Sarai shouted, pounding the nearest person the back, who happened to be Wesley. The thief was knocked down onto the carpeted floor, taking more of his share of punishment.

"What great news I hear, to know that our lord Isaac is near." Raele smiled some his position against one of the walls, his lute strapped across his neck by a leather cord. He spotted Mizu entering because of the commotion. "One thing I can't wait to see, is to see sweet Mizu kissing me."

"Stuff it, bard boy." Anair grumbled, running a hand through her tousled lavender-white hair. There were bags under her eyes, a testament to the fact that she hadn't gotten much sleep. Her lack of sleep had also the charming ability to turn her normally stoic mood into something monstrous. "Out of my way, pipsqueak."

"Aw, man. Anair, even though I love you, you're such a grump sometimes." Wesley whined as Anair kicked him out of the way. He squired up on a seat on the side of the couch and gazed at her with puppy eyes, which she promptly ignored.

"Hey, what's the hoo-hah?" Zane strolled inside the room, his arquebus perched over his shoulder. Aura walked in behind him, looking slightly nervous. She twirled a small scarf between her fingers and she looked at the assembled mercenaries. Even though she had been with them for at least a month, she was still nervous around some of them and made no attempt to hide it.

"Isaac is coming back!" Sarai cried joyously, tossing her hands in the air. "Hey, we've been doing pretty well for ourselves, right? Rima, what's the status on the treasury?"

"At least fifty-thousand gold, Sarai." Rima informed. While Isaac was gone at Daein, the rest of the mercenaries had been doing odd jobs around Melior. Their group had now made a name for themselves and sometimes was actually recognized by random individuals across the street.

"Hehehe, all right!" Sarai pumped her fist in the air. "I can't wait for Isaac to come back!"

_---_

"Phew…I can't wait to see the headquarters again." Isaac muttered to himself as he looked at the sight in front of him. The capital of Crimea stood in front of him, like some beautiful, unpolished jewel that would be worth millions once it was just cleaned. He was partially surprised by his feelings. He didn't think he would feel so happy to see his headquarters again and seeing all of his friends. He was actually surprised at the fact that he considered them friends.

"So, it's somewhere in here? What a place." Shirley commented. Isaac didn't know whether her words were complimentary or derogatory. "Well, come on. I'm certain there are more important things to do than just stare like idiot cows." She started walking towards the city.

Isaac shook his head amusedly. It was impossible not to crack a smile at her comment. He turned to look at Eliza. "Ready?"

"Oh, yeah." Eliza nodded as she walked after Shirley.

Isaac sighed and followed her. There had been way too many things to think about lately. Maya trying to kill him. Pravus trying to kill him. Next thing you know, Queen Elincia was going to try to kill him.

'_Oh well,'_ He thought somberly, _'I'll just have to live with it.'_

_  
---_

Isaac stood outside the mansion, with Shirley and Eliza waiting with him.

"Well? Hurry up and open the door. I don't have all day." The cleric tapped her foot impatiently on the ground.

"Fine, fine." Isaac grumbled. He opened the door and was immediately bowled over by two bodies. Collapsing onto the ground and laughing breathlessly, he looked at the two that had tackled him. "Hey, not so hard next time!"

"Sorry, Isaac!" Rima said cheerfully, a big grin on her childish face.

"I'm just happy to see you back!" Sarai ruffled Isaac's hair and got off of his body. "Come on, let's go! Everyone is waiting!" She led him inside the headquarters, where everyone was waiting.

"Welcome back." Raele strummed a chord on his lute, his mismatched eyes shining brightly. "There is no need for rhymes in such a happy moment."

"…Hmph, glad to see you haven't died." Anair grumbled, her arms folded. Her sparkling eyes and the small smile tugging at her lips belied the harsh nature of her words, however.

"Nice to see you again, boss." Yaleus was leaning against a wall, smiling.

"Can't wait to see what kind of stories you have!" Thanas said cheerfully from his position on the couch. Laisa, sitting next to him, wore a big smile and she used a small portion of her magic to scatter flower petals into the air.

"Welcome back, Isaac." Mizu bowed, her tail waving cheerfully.

"Yo." Zane raised his hand and nudged Aura softly. The dancer bowed, her smile tremulous.

"Nice to meet you!" Wesley waved to Isaac.

"…" Aran just folded his arms, staying silent. He inclined his head slightly as a sort of greeting.

"Heh, it's been a long time…But I'm glad to be back." Isaac walked back into the headquarters, smiling gratefully at the band of people that he led.

_---_

A couple of days had passed and now most of the mercenaries were assembled in the meeting hall, without Isaac's knowledge. Aura had pleaded illness and was sleeping in her room, watched over by Zane. Wesley had disappeared somewhere, his trademark smile on his face, and Aran had left, since he didn't feel comfortable with so many people surrounding him. Eliza had disappeared into her room, murmuring to herself worriedly.

Sarai addressed the assembly, her blue hair curling around her head. "Listen up. I don't know if any of you have noticed, but Isaac has been looking really down lately. Hell, he hasn't even smiled in the past couple of days, except at the celebration party! I'm getting worried."

"You have to remember, Isaac doesn't smile that much anyway." Yaleus reminded her. "But you have a point. I'm getting worried myself. He hasn't putting his full strength in training lately. I've been smacking him across the ground in our sessions and he normally matches me strike for strike."

"Maybe he got sick?" Anair suggested, but Shirley waved it away.

"I would have noticed something as major as that. I might not know much about fighting, but I know a lot about diseases and maladies. He isn't sick in body. He must be suffering from some sort of mental anguish." She leaned forward on the oak table, her chin resting on her fingers.

"Could his trip to Daein have revealed something?" Mizu offered.

"Ah, a smart idea she has said, his emotions none have read." Raele said, tuning his instrument.

"We need something to cheer him up." Thanas slammed his hand onto the table, wincing as his old wounds flared up again.

"How about another party?" Laisa said hopefully, looking at the others. Light bulbs seemed to click around the table and soon they were all smiling.

"Hey, that could just work! We still have most of our money, Rima! Let's hold a surprise party for Isaac!" Sarai said joyously.

"Um…No offense, but how did you all accumulate so much money?" Shirley asked. "I'm not very experienced in matters like this."

"We just finished many a quest. All we did was do our best." Raele tested the strings and smiled. "Our rewards for completion were really fine, so on high-class food we may dine."

"Is he always like that?" Shirley pointed at the bard.

"Yeah. Unless he's being serious, which he never is." Sarai snorted. "You get used to it after a while."

"I bet…" Shirley cocked an eye at Raele, who winked at her. "Anyway, how are we going to keep this a secret from Isaac?"

"Oh…Right." That deflated Sarai's balloon a bit. "Isaac is sharp enough to notice anything like a party brewing. Crap, I didn't think about that."

"That's no problem." Rima scoffed. "I'm sure I can think of a way to distract him. Besides, he's been asking me all these questions about Pravus. I'll stall him for a couple of days at the library."

"But it will take more than a couple of days to make the party." Sarai said when Yaleus interrupted.

"I'll beat him around in training some more. Leave it to me." He offered with a smug grin.

"I guess that works…" Sarai shrugged. "Okay, people! Let's get ready for a party!"

_---_

"Pay attention!" Yaleus cried as his sword flew past Isaac's lance and thudded into his head. Isaac let out a yell and collapsed on the ground, clutching his aching head. The green haired swordsman stood over Isaac, a smirk on his face. "You will never win at a fight without paying attention."

"Grrr…" Isaac grumbled, standing up and rubbing the bump that he was certain was appearing on his head. "Jerk."

"You should be glad this was only practice. If it was real life, your head would've been split in two." Yaleus said, tossing his wooden sword to the side. He bent to help Isaac up and looked at him concernedly. "You've been distracted lately. What's been bothering you?"

"At the moment, my head is. I've just been thinking." Isaac replied.

"Well, I'll fix you a drink. That should get thinking out of your head!" Yaleus said cheerfully as he led Isaac towards the main building of their headquarters.

Isaac looked suspiciously at Yaleus. "You've been training me more than ever lately. Are you hiding something from me?"

"Why would you think that?" He replied easily as he tossed open the door and stepped to the side.

"You're planning something, I know it." Isaac accused as he walked through the door. He looked in front of him and stopped.

"SURPRISE!"

"Wha-? What the hell is this?" Isaac asked in disbelief, staring at the assembled mercenaries. "Did something happen that I'm not aware of?"

"Stop being such a worrywart and enjoy yourself!" Sarai grabbed Isaac's arm and led him towards a table in the middle of the room that was laden with various delicacies. "You were looking down lately, so we decided to hold a party for you!"

"You shouldn't have done this." Isaac protested. "Really. I was just thinking about something. You didn't have to go through the trouble. Hey, wait a minute! That's why you kept taking me to the library!" He pointed at Rima, then at Yaleus. "And why you kept making me train!"

"Guilty." Yaleus grinned.

"Hey, it worked! My plans always work!" Rima chirped.

"Now stop worrying about stuff and let's have another party!" Sarai shouted, grabbing a mug of beer from the table and downing it in one gulp.

_---_

"I don't want to do this." Wesley whined.

"Be quiet, Wesley." Zane said. "This is for one of our friends and frankly, I'm not too fond of it myself. But we have to do it, okay?"

"Sigh…This better be worth it." The thief said as he looked at the other male mercenaries that were gathered in one of the many rooms. "Why does Raele want us to be accompaniment for his song anyway? His voice is good enough as a solo."

"Hey, don't ask me." Zane shrugged. "Looks like he's all ready. Might as well go."

"Won't this be great." Wesley sighed half-heartedly and put a smile on his face. "Oh well. At least Anair will be watching me."

_---_

"Why did you drag me here?" Isaac asked uncertainly as Sarai shoved him on one of the seats in a room. The seats had been arranged in rows and there was a rickety-looking wooden stage in front of them. All of the girls were here, but Isaac couldn't spot any guys, except for Aran, who was standing to the side.

"You ask the cutest questions!" Sarai giggled uncontrollably and tugged at his cheeks. "Be quiet, silly! We're going to watch a show!"

Isaac edged away from the drunk girl and found him next to Anair, who also seemed suitably bombed. In her current condition, Isaac didn't know whether to be scared or relieved.

"Oh, it's you, Isaac." Anair murmured. "You know, when I first saw you…I thought you were hot. Did you know that?" She leaned against Isaac, humming contentedly.

"Um…No, I didn't." He replied.

"Off my little Isaac!" Sarai grabbed him by the arm and tugged the mercenary towards her.

'_This is just great…'_ Isaac thought to himself helplessly. _'Why can't this stupid show start already so I can escape?'_

"I am sorry for the wait, but fortunately we are not too late." Raele strode onto the stage, looking gallant in his normal clothes as well as a pair of sunglasses and a chain the hung from his neck. His all-too-familiar lute was still strapped around his neck and he motioned behind him. All the other male mercenary members strode onto the stage, with expressions that varied from utter embarrassment to resigned helplessness.

"I have a song for you. It is something I must do." Raele strummed a chord on his lute and began singing, with the other guys dancing (or trying to) and providing background noises.

_Pretty Mizu, walking in my life  
Pretty Mizu, will you be my wife?  
Pretty Mizu I don't believe you  
__You're not the truth  
No one could look as good as you  
__Mercy_

_Pretty Mizu don't you notice me  
Pretty Mizu I couldn't help but see  
Pretty Mizu that you look lovely as can be  
Are you lonely just like me? Wow_

Isaac put a hand to his mouth, supposedly scratching at an itch, but secretly trying to stop the huge smile at the spreading across his face. The show was, to say the least, extremely amusing. It was, to say the most, touching and very, very romantic. Mizu herself was blushing like mad, with the other girls giggling around her.

Raele was really into it, adding dancing to his repertoire of musical skills. He was playing to the crowd, tossing off his sunglasses to the crowd. Even the background people were getting into it. Wesley was now spinning around on his hands, flipping backwards and forwards. Thanas was mimicking Raele and was singing along with him, except he was replacing Mizu with Laisa. Yaleus, with absolutely no skill at dancing, was now showing off his swordplay, nearly shaving off spikes of Zane's hair.

_Pretty Mizu, stop a while  
Pretty Mizu, talk a while  
Pretty Mizu, give your smile to me  
Pretty Mizu, yeah yeah yeah  
Pretty Mizu, look my way  
Pretty Mizu, say you'll stay with me  
Cause I need you I'll treat you right  
Come with me baby, be mine tonight _

Pretty Mizu, won't you be mine?  
Pretty Mizu, you look mighty fine  
Pretty Mizu, don't walk away, hey, o.k.  
If that's the way it must be, o.k.  
I guess I'll go on home, it's late  
There'll be tomorrow night, but wait  
What do I see, is she walking back to me?  
Yeah, she's walking back to me!  
Oh, oh, pretty Mizu

Raele bowed and jumped off of the stage, wrapping the auburn haired catgirl in a hug and kissing her on the lips. Thanas copied the bard and leapt down next to Laisa, except he only blushed and smiled. Yaleus sheathed his sword and had to run away when Zane started chasing him around.

Isaac applauded loudly, a wide grin on his face. He laughed a little and allowed Yaleus to hide behind him to escape Zane's wrath. "I can't believe you guys did that!"

"Hey, it was worth it!" Wesley said cheerfully, prancing up to Anair. "I was fantastic, wasn't I?"

"Of course you were, you little chubby bunny." Anair slurred.

Wesley looked nonplussed to hear himself being called a chubby bunny, but he shrugged it off and sat next to her. Soon, the thief was in an animated discussion with the archer and most of his hand motions suggested that he was explaining how he had robbed three people in plain sight.

"Hey Aura!" Zane paused for a moment to hail the purple haired dancer. "Why don't you sing a song for everyone?"

"O-Oh! No! I couldn't! Not after that performance! Besides, I haven't practiced singing for a long time…" Aura protested, but the other mercenaries urged her on so she reluctantly agreed. Turning to Raele, she curtsied slightly. "Um…If it wouldn't trouble you, would you mind playing a soft accompaniment?"

"It would be my pleasure." Raele said gallantly and he lifted himself onto the stage again. "Something soft? Or something rousing?"

"Something soft…" Aura said before walking onto the stage and taking a deep breath. She looked out at the rowdy mercenaries and gulped, overcome by a wave of nervousness. She took a quick glance at Zane, who nodded encouragingly. Returning his nod, she took one last breath before launching into song.

_Walking down the world  
__Earth and sky between us  
__Friends at our side to greet us  
__The future lies in all of us_

_Running down the tracks  
__We have splitting roads  
__What does our future bode?  
__Together we will strive our path_

_Surely it's our souls  
__Tossed between light and dark  
__Singing like the lark  
__Suffering the many sorrows of life_

_But we choose what we see  
__We decide who we want to be  
__In this blessed land of gods  
__We will beat the odds_

Aura ended the song with a small sigh and looked out at the crowd, which was silent. She blushed and began stammering. "I-I'm sorry! I know i-it's not that good, b-but…" She stopped lamely, too embarrassed to continue.

The roar of applause took her by surprise and she nearly stumbled off the stage. Curtsying to her audience, she rushed off the stage into the open arms of Zane, who rubbed her hair softly.

"You did very well, Aura."

"T-Thank you." She said breathlessly.

"Wow, I knew you guys were good and stuff, but I never thought you held such wonderful parties." A tall, scrawny black haired man with a sword at his side walked towards Isaac, open wonderment on his face. "Oh, I forgot. My name is Cyrus Marquessa Evanwoods."

"Uh…Hi Cyrus." Isaac cautiously took the man's hand. Looking at his hair, Isaac noticed that there were multi-colored streaks in his hair, giving him a slightly strange look. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I've come to join your mercenary group!" Cyrus said cheerfully. "I'm sure I'll be useful."

"Well, okay." Isaac motioned outside. "Perhaps we can discuss this somewhere else? I doubt there are any real problems with you joining, but I have to check each person."

"Oh, I understand. The burdens that every leader must carry, huh?"

Isaac looked back at Sarai and Anair, both of which were arguing with each other. Wesley was in the middle, smiling blissfully. Apparently, both Sarai and Anair believed that Wesley was Isaac and were arguing over who had more right to him. Isaac wondered how they could think the shorter brown haired boy looked anything like him, but he presumed the oversight was the cause of alcohol.

"Is there something wrong?" Cyrus asked, a momentary flicker of uncertainty washing across his face.

"Oh, nothing." Isaac shook his head and followed Cyrus outside. "Nothing you should be worried about." A small smile flitted on his face. "It was nothing you could stop."

_---_

"Isaac is mine! Who was the first person that he recruited?" Sarai tugged on Wesley's left arm, glaring at Anair, who was tugging on the opposite arm.

"You were forced upon him!" Anair retorted, pulling Wesley back towards her. The lavender-white haired archer stuck her tongue out at Sarai. "Besides, this guy belongs to me!"

"Girls?" Wesley said.

"You be quiet, Isaac!" Sarai yelled.

"Sheesh…" Wesley cringed. "I'm not even Isaac. I'm Wesley. It was nice pretending I was the leader for a while, but it's breaking my heart to hear two beautiful ladies arguing over him and not me. Why does Isaac get all the hot girls?"

"Hey! You aren't Isaac!" Sarai said accusingly.

"That's what I told you!" Wesley smirked.

"Well…Fine!" The blue haired girl collapsed in a faint. Wesley watched her for a moment before turning back to Anair. She was looking down at the ground, blushing like a schoolgirl. It made Wesley slightly nervous to see her like that, but the thief didn't let the emotion travel to his face.

"Hey Anair, what's troubling you?"

"What? N-Nothing! Nothing at all!" Anair replied hastily before running off. Wesley scratched his head in confusion. Even with all of his jokes and experience, he would never understand girls.

'_Oh well. It's not like they understand me.'_ Wesley thought contentedly as he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

_---_

"Master?" Eliza stood in front of her altar, her hands twisting in torment. "Master, I need to talk to you!"

"What is it, Eliza? Is there something troubling you, my child?" Pravus replied.

"Y-Yes." Eliza nodded fearfully. No matter how firm her resolve was, it would always crumble in the god's mighty presence. "Master…My heart is aching. I feel…things whenever I act against Isaac. I don't understand it. Please…Help me, Master. I don't want to feel these things anymore. I exist only to serve you…"

"Hahahah! Can it be that my child has felt the first stirrings of affection? Well, that cannot do. Eliza, don't worry your pretty little head. You won't feel these things anymore."

"T-Thank you, Master." Eliza bowed and hurriedly left the room, her silver hair flying behind her.

Pravus's presence remained in the room, watching Eliza. "That girl…I made her human…but she is becoming too human for my purposes. Whatever. I will remove her ability to feel affection and she won't be human anymore. She is, of course, the perfect tool."

* * *

Chris: Well, back to the plot! At least in the next chapter the storyline will move farther. I hope you enjoyed this filler chapter of sorts and review please! It was fun writing this stuff. 


	11. Mission 11: Encounter

Chris: Well, here's another chapter for you all! And back to the plot! Well, okay, most of the plot at least.

* * *

**Mission 11: Encounter**

It had only been one week since Caroline and Kyril had left Sienne and they already had encountered a couple of problems. One was the fact that none of them were truly equipped for a long journey, so the food they had departed with was already gone. Kyril had gotten lucky with his magic a couple of times by taking down a stray deer, but the two of them mostly had to trade for their food now. Second, raiders were becoming a very common sight on the road and it wouldn't be unusual for them to hide for a good portion of the day. And finally, some of Caroline's wounds were getting worse for some reason and the brown haired girl was suffering from frequent fainting spells.

"Are you going to be okay?" Kyril looked skeptically at his companion, who turned to glare at him.

"Mind your own business." Caroline retorted, wincing slightly. In only a couple of days, she realized how foolish she had been. She had no experience and frankly, she had been a pain in the mansion. _'Maybe I deserved that beating…'_

"What's on your mind? You look troubled." Kyril ventured, the red haired monk smiling warmly. Caroline had a witty retort all set up, but she decided not to argue and just shook her head. Kyril nodded as if he understood and returned his eyes back to the road.

"I was just thinking…about why people do the things they do." Caroline whispered, mainly to herself. "Why people are so stupid."

"Hmm…It's a subject I've been wondering about myself." Kyril replied. "As a monk of Ashera, I'm a devout learner of her history. It is said she was just a normal person who ascended into godhood. What do you have to do to be a god? And how can one overcome all the sins that have been heaped on humankind? It's a troubling thought, once you think about it."

"Bah, this subject is something to discuss over a campfire at night, not during the road in day. The day requires cheerier subjects." Caroline shook her head. "I never did thank you for helping me with my injuries. And…for not asking."

"My pleasure." Kyril said, a small smile on his face. Unfortunately, Caroline misinterpreted the smile and thought he was smiling only because he had gotten to see her without some of her clothes.

"Hmph…Some pleasure indeed." Caroline huffed, resolving never to speak to the perverted monk ever again.

"By the way, Caroline. I hope you know how to use that lance." Kyril paused, frowning.

"Why do you ask?"

"We're going to need it." He pulled out a small tome that was bound in purple leather. Gathered all around the two of them were bandits and raiders. _'…Why must people fight?'_

He sighed and flipped open to a page in his tome. _'Perhaps Ashera knows…Which is why she is a goddess and I am just a monk.'_

_---_

"Okay, now back to business." Isaac sat in the war room of the mansion, looking at the other people gathered here. "This is more of my personal agenda, but I'm planning to take a job that takes place in Begnion. Those who will come with me will learn why I'm heading to Begnion and the others will just have to wait until I get back."

"Well sure, boss." Yaleus said lazily from his position on a chair. "What about the rest of us poor saps that have to muck around in Crimea?"

"Keep things running smoothly as possible. Yaleus, since I trust your judgment, you'll be temporary commander." Isaac said, looking at the green haired swordsman.

Yaleus quirked a smile. "Ah…The burdens of command. How the common people must suffer for the actions of the few great ones."

"Oh, stuff it." Sarai moaned, her head on the table and looking extremely sick. Her hands were propped loosely over her head and she looked like she was trying to sleep except she was failing miserably. "Why can't I be head in command?"

"Because you won't be there. You're coming with me, Sarai." Isaac said.

"Yay!" Sarai cheered, which was quickly followed by a groan as she sank back into her seat. "Can someone please kill me?"

"Sorry. No can do. Took strict vows that stated I would not kill anyone." Shirley said, smirking. In the short time she had been with the mercenaries, Shirley was already adjusting to life with them.

'_She makes a better mercenary than a priestess.'_ Isaac thought amusedly. If someone bothered to teach her how to wield a weapon, she would probably become one of the best mercenaries ever. The only problem was that she rigorously adhered to her religious vows, one of which prohibited her from killing anyone.

"So? Who else is going?" Thanas leaned on the desk, grinning in anticipation. The young warrior was fully healed and was enjoying every moment he had where he could goof around. It was common knowledge that he and Laisa were quickly becoming sweethearts, due to his valiant actions in his first fight.

Isaac thought hard. Since he was respectful of Thanas's feelings, he didn't want to split him with Laisa. He would take along both of them, except Laisa was the only mage they possessed and it would be better if she stayed in the home base. Raele would be slightly too unpredictable and the bard always knew more than Isaac really liked. He was still sore about the whole Eliza incident and had never really forgiven the Raele.

"Rima, Anair, Aura…" Isaac murmured to himself.

"Anyone else notice that he's only bringing along the pretty ladies?" Wesley asked cheekily, rocking in his chair. The thief winked at Isaac, causing him to flush slightly.

"Hmph. Fine. I'll only be taking along six people. Sarai, Aran, Shirley, Eliza, Rima, and…" Isaac winced. "Cyrus."

"That guy?" Yaleus exploded, his eyes wide with surprise. "He's a klutz! He doesn't deserve to be in battle as much as Wesley deserves to be in an all girls school! What are you thinking, boss?"

"Look…I'm sure with experience, he could become better…" Isaac said, but it sounded weak in his ears. After a couple of training sessions with the myrmidon, they had found out he was pretty much incompetent in many fields. The only areas that he seemed excel in were economics and running.

"With a million years, it is said that even a monkey could be taught how to use a sword. With Cyrus, it would take _two_ million years." Wesley cracked.

"Look, he's enthusiastic enough." Isaac sighed. "I'll have to bring him along."

"Fine, fine. Just don't blame me when he trips over a rock and gives himself a concussion." The brown haired thief shrugged, frowning. "What should we do about any new recruits?"

"That's my question." Yaleus said, grinning. "So…The answer, boss?"

"Bring them in, unless it seems like they want to kill any one of us or if they have some major problem with other people in the ground." Isaac informed.

"Well then…What else can I say but good luck?" Yaleus shrugged. "I'm sure you'll do fine, boss. You're one of the best soldiers I've ever seen in quite a while. Your father taught you your lance style?"

Isaac shook his head. "My father died before he could. It's a self-taught style." He pushed himself up and grimaced. "But it could never compare with his. My father was the best soldier Daein ever had. That damn war killed him." Clenching his fists, he walked away, looking angry.

_---_

"I think I hate this!" Caroline shouted as she rode her horse through the trees, taking quick glances behind her. Her lance was clutched loosely in her hand and she was inwardly cursing the fact that she hadn't thought to bring along armor.

"Easy for you to say!" Kyril panted. "You have a horse!" The monk was in lots of trouble. The raiders had already identified the only person who could truly fight, which was Kyril. Every single attack had so far been aimed at the single man. He was lucky enough to not have been killed, but he wasn't lucky enough to remain unscathed.

"Come on, get on!" Caroline offered a hand to Kyril and hauled him up on her horse. "Let's go, Coriander! Don't want to be caught!"

The two of them managed to move a little be farther when Coriander suddenly bucked, tossing Kyril off of his back. Caroline managed to hang onto the reins, but Kyril landed on a tree branch, causing a wave of pain to flood his back. Standing in front of them was a grim-looking swordsman who was holding a wicked, curved sword in one hand.

"Ptah! Another whelp who thinks holding a weapon makes her strong!" He spat on the ground. "It's time I relieved you of your delusions!" He flicked back his long, brown-black hair and leapt at Caroline.

She managed to bring her lance up in time to deflect the angle of the strike, causing it to swish through empty air. The move was too slow, however, and she was completely unprepared when the swordsman sliced her lance in half. Gaping slightly, she stared at the three-foot haft of wood in her hand. She didn't even notice that the sword was now aimed for her stomach. The swordsman took one step and launched himself at her, angling his sword for one quick thrust through the belly.

Before he could connect, however, a beat of light disrupted his path. Jumping backwards reflexively, he looked warily at the monk who had launched the spell. "A holy man, huh? Well, it doesn't matter. You all bleed the same."

"How true, how true." Kyril shrugged. "If we all bleed the same, does that mean that we're all related, even with such a weak tie as that?"

"Hmph." The swordsman quirked a smile. "Witty. Very witty. Too bad."

Kyril bowed his head. "Yes, it truly is a shame. Well, shall we fight then? Let's just follow our primal instincts."

"Unfortunately, that time is over now." The swordsman sheathed his sword. "You talked too long, my friend. The bandits will probably ransom or use you as a slave. And as for the lady over there, well, I guess the chief will take her." He pointed to a tall, burly man standing nearby. "Good night. Just another mystery of life, huh?"

Kyril nodded once before allowing himself to be captured and bound with rope. Caroline was tugged off of her horse and was hauled over the leader's shoulder like a sack of grain. She struggled weakly, but none of her efforts paid off. The swordsman followed last, leading Caroline's horse and humming to himself.

_---_

"Hey, what's that?" Cyrus squinted as he paused on his horse. Another thing they had discovered was that he had moderate skill at horseback riding. Isaac was planning to make him one of the mounted knights if no other solution presented itself. Cyrus also proved to be a fantastic scout, allowing the small band to avoid some of the larger raiding parties they had encountered. Cyrus contributed his successes to all the times he had to hide and spy to see if his former employers were going to kill him.

"What are you talking about?" Isaac halted his horse next to the myrmidon. Unlike Cyrus, Isaac had no experience with fighting on horseback, although Cyrus often explained that it was just like on foot, except he was on a moving animal that could be cut down beneath him. It did absolutely nothing to help his motivations for learning how to ride and fight at the same time.

"There's a raider camp ahead…but unlike the others, they seem to have captives. A young girl and a monk. A fierce-looking swordsman is guarding them." Cyrus said. "What should we do?"

"It doesn't feel right to let them be at the mercy of raiders and bandits." Isaac shook his head. "Come on, people. We have a fight to win."

"Ah…I couldn't help overhearing your plight." A young, golden haired man rode up to Isaac. "Even though I have no connection with those people, I want to help rescue them. I would have no chance by myself, but with you, I'm sure we could succeed."

"What do you fight with?" Isaac asked.

"Bow and arrows. Especially this special composite longbow of mine." The man pulled the bow off of his back and showed it to Isaac. It was a bow of around four feet in length, made of sturdy wood. Metal reinforced the weak areas of the bow and a quiver of goose-feather arrows lay at his side. "So, perhaps my services would be needed?"

"We could also use another fighter." Isaac shrugged. "Welcome to the team…"

"Arrin. Arrin Finn." His face broke out into a wide smile, emphasizing his sparkling red eyes. "I won't let you down."

_---_

"Ugh…" Caroline moaned from her position of being tied against a stake. Her head lolled on her shoulders and her skin had become extremely pale. Kyril, who was tied up next to the girl, was regretting his lack of healing powers.

"Why are we placed on this world? Why is there war, disease…suffering?" Kyril muttered. He struggled against the ropes that held his hands and legs, but was unable to break past. His magic tome was somewhere else, held as bounty by the raiders. Kyril knew there was a way for monks to call power directly from the goddess, but he knew that there was no way that Ashera would grant his request.

'_After all…I'm not exactly a model of monkhood.'_ Kyril thought sarcastically.

"What are you thinking about, monk?" Their guard, the swordsman from earlier, looked up from his food, a piece of beef stuck in his mouth. He quickly swallowed the scrap of food before pointing at Caroline with his sword. "What's up with her?"

"I don't know…Maybe she's sick." Kyril said sarcastically. "It's just one of those mysteries of life."

The swordsman barked off a short laugh and stepped up to the monk, towering over the shorter man. "I like you. Besides, I'm tired of hanging around the same place. These people have no wits, no brains." He laughed again and sawed through Kyril's bonds with his sword.

Kyril rubbed life back into his sore wrists and stared suspiciously at the white haired man. "Why are you helping us?"

"Like I said, you amuse me. Life's too bothersome to have to worry about small stuff like this. Only life itself has enough allure to actually think about." He handed a small package to Kyril. "I'm sure you know a little about healing. Care to your little friend. I'll stir up some commotion." He grinned once before disappearing.

"What a strange fellow…" Kyril muttered to himself as he untied Caroline and looked over his wounds. Sighing, he closed his eyes and murmured a small prayer to Ashera. "May the goddess watch over the sinners…So that they may rise to the Blessed Realm."

_---_

"Hyah!" Arrin rode straight towards the bandit horde, flipping arrows out of his quiver and shooting arrows randomly in no set pattern. As expected, the bandits scattered in different directions, now easier prey for the other mercenaries. He reined in his horse and turned his course around. Drawing more arrows, Arrin continued on his task, occasionally letting one of his arrows find its mark.

Meanwhile, Cyrus was chasing down one of the bandits on foot. Unfortunately for him, he tripped over his two left feet and tumbled onto the ground, the blade of his sword snapping as it struck a heavy boulder. The bandit he was chasing noticed the myrmidon's predicament and stalled, now eager to attack his unarmed enemy.

Cyrus scrambled upwards, watching the brigand warily and making sure he wouldn't be under attack. Spotting half of his sword on the ground, he grabbed the hilt and held it in front of him, trying to look fierce. The look was completely ruined by the fact that the sword was only two feet in length, including the hilt. The bandit just smiled and charged at Cyrus, roaring lustily.

Cyrus rolled to the side and tossed his sword like a dart. The sword embedded itself in the bandit's back and the myrmidon sighed with relief. He lay down on the ground to rest for a while and closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of the warm sun on his skin. "Now _this_ is what living is all about."

After a while, he noticed that the sunlight had disappeared from his face. Opening his eyes, he saw that a smiling bandit, who was bringing his axe down in a lethal strike, had blocked the light. Cyrus cursed and tried to roll out of the way, but he knew it would be too late. Just as the axe came down, however, a spear burst out of the bandit's chest and the axe slipped from nerveless fingers to clatter to the ground next to Cyrus.

"Up on your feet!" Isaac yelled, yanking his bloody spear out of the axeman's chest. "A fight doesn't wait for anyone!"

"Yes, sir!" Cyrus stood up. "Uh…But I broke my weapon…"

"Sigh…" Isaac groaned and grabbed a sword from a fallen enemy. He tossed it to Cyrus, who fumbled with it for a while before keeping his hold on the weapon. "Just…just try to stay alive."

"Oh, I can do that! No worries!" Cyrus saluted and hit his forehead with the pommel stone of the sword. The myrmidon collapsed on to the ground, stunned.

Isaac sighed resignedly and shook his head.

_---_

"Hey, I'm just a little girl! Don't hurt me!" Rima cried out as she twisted and turned through the hordes of bandits. The lithe, small girl was adept at sneaking through the enemy ranks and soon she was inside in the bandit's camp. Giggling madly to herself, she proceeded to fill her pockets with whatever she deemed was worth something.

"I'm just a thief. My visits will be brief. I fill my bag, with gems and swag, and I sneak throughout the night." Rima sang softly to herself as she finished emptying all of the containers she had seen. The thief turned tactician had now accumulated a couple of valuable jewels, a short sword, and a thin, sharp stiletto that she found under a fur rug.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, Aran! It's you!" Rima waved cheerfully at the black-winged raven. "What's up? I thought you would be fighting."

"I already have. I'm too drained to transform to fight more." Aran showed his bloody fingers. "Give me some time to recollect my energy and I'll be back."

"Good! You can expect a bonus." Rima nodded cheerily before skipping off, whistling.

Aran shook his head and remained hovering. With nothing to do at the moment, the raven did what he did best. Analyze the situation and determine the best choice of action. At the moment, it seemed that staying with Isaac was the smart move. _'That beorc is moving somewhere. I plan to be next to him when it happens. If he goes up, so will I and I can return to Kilvas with more money than I'll ever need.'_

Sarai ran up and waved to the raven. "Hey, thanks for the help!"

Aran nodded and alighted next to the blue haired girl. "How are things holding?"

"Fair, fair. I haven't seen anything bad happen to us yet." Sarai shouldered her crossbow and launched a barbed arrow at a bandit that burst from the trees. She wound up another arrow and shot it into the bandit, just in case. "Well, see you around. Good luck." She dashed off, her hands shaking slightly.

_---_

Shirley and Eliza were wandering the battlefield, trying to see if they could help any wounded people. Fortunately, none of their friends had been injured yet, except for a minor concussion on Cyrus's part. Luckily for the both of them, it seemed as if Isaac had already passed through this area and it was deserted. Shirley took this moment to look at Eliza carefully. The silver haired healer was strangely impassive to the carnage around her and she seemed distant to her surroundings.

"Eliza?"

"Hmm?" Eliza turned to her companion, a flat smile on her face. "Is there something wrong, Shirley?"

"No…" Shirley murmured, "At least, not yet." She brushed back a strand of her teal hair and looked at Eliza more closely. Eliza seemed a lot paler too. In fact, the only things that seemed alive about her were her sparkling blue eyes.

"Isn't this exciting?" Eliza said cheerfully. "I'm so happy nobody has been hurt yet."

"Yeah…" Shirley said, feeling uneasy. Her goddess had taught her a couple of techniques to detect the presence of dark beings and her senses were playing huge alarms about Eliza. She decided to confront her. After all, if she was wrong, she wouldn't have to worry about the evil influence any longer.

"Eliza?"

"What is it, Shirley?" Eliza smiled widely, small freckles appearing on her pale skin. "Don't tell me you're tired."

"No, it's just something that's bothering me." Shirley pulled a small pouch from a pocket in her robes and opened it. Inside was a small charm shaped in the figure of a pegasus. Murmuring some quick words of prayer, she handed the charm to Eliza. "I wanted to give this to you. It's a good luck charm."

"Oh, thank you!" Eliza accepted it, but hissed as her fingers touched the holy artifact. The pegasus dropped to the ground and Eliza's booted foot smashed it into a thousand pieces. "Hiss…"

"I was right…You're a servant of Pravus, aren't you?" Shirley paused, crossing her fingers in front of her. "I will not allow you to carry on with your mission!"

"What are you going to do about it?" Eliza snarled, her eyes glinting dangerously. "You can't harm me." She slid a stiletto from the folds of her dress and thrust the weapon towards Shirley's chest. The priestess twisted aside and pointed a finger at Eliza, crying out Ashera's name.

"**AGH!**" Eliza screamed as invisible daggers slashed through her body, causing her to sink to the ground. She continued screaming and twitched violently. Lifting a shaking hand, she pointed to the sky. "Pravus! Help me! Your servant needs your aid!"

Suddenly, Shirley was rocketed backwards as a blast of dark energy exploded in front of her. The priestess fell to the ground, her spell interrupted by the timely arrival of Pravus. The dark god lifted Eliza to her feet and supported her as she staggered towards the fallen girl. Even though nothing marked her body, Eliza moved as if she had been stabbed with millions of arrows.

"You…_bitch_." Eliza hissed. "I'm going to _kill_ you."

Pravus restrained her, however. "Don't, child. Isaac will get suspicious if he finds out that Shirley is dead. He'll question you intensely about her death and you don't need that type of attention at the moment. I will erase her memory of this incident and shield you from any of Ashera's spells."

"Okay, master." Eliza panted, her silver hair falling across her eyes and shading her eyes, which were shining with a shade of red. She took a deep breath to compose herself and put on her smile. "I'm ready. She won't remember anything, right Master?"

"Not a word. Speaking of which, how do you feel about Isaac?"

Eliza paused. "I feel nothing for him. Thank you for helping me with my problem."

"It's the least I can do for my child." Pravus patted Eliza on the head and crouched over Shirley. "You're causing too much trouble for me, girl. Forget everything you've learned and said." He placed a gloved hand on Shirley's hand and the priestess squirmed in Pravus's grip.

"All done. I'll speak with you later, Eliza. You're doing a very good job." Pravus disappeared, leaving Eliza alone with the unconscious Shirley. Eliza shivered as she watched Pravus leave. She was very scared.

It was the first time she had ever lied to the god.

_

* * *

Chris: Well, the conclusion of the battle will be in the next chapter! I hope you enjoyed this one and review please! Suggestions, comments, ideas are all appreciated._


	12. Mission 12: Conflict of Faith

Chris: To those that read this fic, I'm probably going to take a long, long break from Fire Emblem writing. I seriously need to focus on the stories I have for other sections (and I'm getting tired of Fire Emblem), as well as my original writing. So all FE fics will be put on hold, other than these:

Life's Quest (Finishing Florina's segment, then it's break time.)  
Just Friends (I want to put this out of the way.)  
Restoration (Until I get to the spot where I want to stop.)

I _will_ be writing fics for other sections though. The Price of Failure for SC III, Adventures of Melissa for Riviera, random Tales of Phantasia fics, and my Ragnarok Online fic will still be going on.

P.S. Thanks to all that reviewed. I really appreciate your support and your suggestions.

* * *

**Mission 12: Conflict of Faith **

Isaac looked at the bloody battlefield, panting with exertion. The battle was pretty much over, with no casualties on his side. He walked across the grass, avoiding the fallen bodies of the bandits. The blond haired leader of the mercenaries was met outside the remains of the bandit camp by Sarai, who grinned cheekily and slapped him on the back.

"Heya boss! Looks like we're all done!" Sarai grabbed Isaac's hand and led him towards the center of the camp, where the rest of the mercenaries were gathered around a strange looking swordsman with silver-gray hair. The swordsman was sitting cross-legged on the ground, smirking at the mercenaries. "Well, other than this guy, but he says he wants to join our group."

"Hey, you the leader of this traveling circus?" The swordsman called.

"…" Isaac grimaced. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Why do you care?"

"Well, you guys fought well enough. And since I'm without work again, how about I come with you? I'm a good enough fighter." The swordsman shrugged and stood. "So, how about it?"

"Fine." Isaac nodded. "What's your name?"

"Peter. That's all you need to know." Peter grinned and pointed behind him. "A couple of my friends are over there. Let me introduce you to them." He sprinted away before anyone could stop him.

"What do you think of him?" Isaac looked at the others, most of which showed expressions of displeasure. He nodded. "Yeah, I feel the same way about him. I don't know if we can trust him. He seems too erratic to do well in a mercenary group."

"Hey, hey! Here they are!" Peter raced back, her eyes glinting. He led a weary-looking monk and a sick girl towards them and Isaac raised an eye at the battered condition of the newcomers. He motioned to Eliza, who immediately examined their wounds.

"My name is Kyril. Were you the people that killed the bandits?" The monk, a young man with light-red hair and a serious looking face, stared dazedly at Isaac. "If so, then thank you from the bottom of my heart. May the blessings of Ashera go with you."

"It was no problem." Isaac said, interest in the monk rising. He had some very interesting things to ask the monk, mainly about the relationship between Ashera and Pravus. He looked at the girl, who was pale and slightly green around the neck. "What's wrong with her?"

"She got sick." Kyril said, looking worriedly at his companion. "Her name is Caroline. Would it be okay if we accompanied you on your travels? It is too dangerous to travel alone these days."

"Why not?" A small smile graced Isaac's face and he extended a hand out to the monk. "Every new person you meet on the road is a friend you can count on for the rest of your life."

_---_

"You're heading towards Begnion?" Kyril asked amazedly, a frown on his face. Caroline, who had recovered a little from her illness, also seemed displeased at Isaac's choice of destination. "Caroline and I just left there!"

"So you two are natives of Begnion? I could use your help navigating through the city. It's my first trip to the capital." Isaac said. "But why don't you want to go there?"

"Everyone has places where they would rather not be seen in." Caroline folded her arms, looking at the ground. Her brown hair fell in little ringlets across her face and the cavalier didn't bother pushing the loose strands out of her eyes. "But if you must go…"

"If it brings unwelcome memories, I can't stop it. However, I _need_ to go to Sienne in order to research some things about the goddess Ashera." Isaac explained. "There are some questions I must have answers to."

"I understand." Kyril said, looking thoughtful. "We all have questions that have to be answered." He gave a weak smile and shrugged. "They just can't all be answered today."

"I agree. Kyril, since you're a monk, you should know some of the histories of Ashera, right?" Isaac looked at Kyril, who nodded. "Then perhaps you could answer some of my questions. Caroline, you don't need to stay if you don't want to."

"No, that's okay." Caroline stayed in her place. "This might be interesting."

"Okay, first of all, Kyril, do you know anything about a god named Pravus?"

"Pravus…" Kyril looked at the sky, seemingly searching for an answer. "I believe we studied a little of him, but he is often considered a heathen god and has no bearing among the true goddess Ashera. I will tell you all that I know of him." He took in a deep breath and began his tale.

­_---_

_It is said that in the beginning of the world, when the earth was young, the gods arose from the spirits of the world. Caelum, the god of the sky, Exuro, god of the flame, Terra, goddess of the earth…They are just examples of those that arose from the ranks of the spirits. They were considered the smartest, the strongest, the most wise of all of the spirits and they gratefully accepted their positions. One spirit, however, inwardly seethed against this treatment. He was just as strong, just as smart, and just as wise as the rest. His name was Pravus._

_At first, Pravus did nothing to outwardly show his jealousy and envy. He praised the greatest of spirits as well as the others and offered his help and magic towards the gods. However, unknown to the rest of the world, he raised his own cult to worship him. He became a god in his own right to those that served under him. The gifts that he received as a spirit slowly became corrupted and perverse. He led his own cult and taught them ideals of wickedness and evil. They became perverted. They became the world's first demons._

_It wasn't long before Pravus accumulated enough of an army to finally declare his hatred of the gods. The war, which was given no name, erupted for hundreds, thousands of years. At the end, both sides were almost annihilated. Pravus was left only with his life and a few loyal demons left at his side, the demons he would later call his Maluin. Only the gods remained on their side, the remaining spirits destroyed in the fighting. _

"_Give me recognition! Show me the terror! Show me that I am more powerful than you!" Pravus shouted at the gods, gesturing at spirits that had given up and surrendered to him. "Look at them! They bemoan their fate, curse my name, yet they cannot bear to face the fact that they were weak! If they were true to the gods, they would never submit to one such as me! That shows that **I** am the true god now!"_

"_They submit because they have more sense than your mindless fiends!" Caelum shouted, holding a sword fashioned out of clouds. "They have the sense to realize that life is more important than anything else. That is why they submit. That is why they know that someday, they will destroy you from inside."_

"_My children…" Terra whispered sadly, clutching a wooden staff to her chest. "I pity you, but I understand your worries. Pravus only wants you for your spiritual power…Once that is gone, you shall all be safe." She closed her eyes and lifted her staff towards the air. She chanted a few mystical words only known by gods and waved her staff in the air. The spirits slowly lost their luster, their power. Soon, they became what we now know as humans. _

_The war is said to have had no ending. The gods and Pravus clashed, over and over again. It is said that there was no victor. At the last minutes of the war, Pravus launched one last attack against the gods. He and his Maluin swarmed against the gods, forcing them to keep to the defensive. Terra fell first, pierced by a demon's sword. Caelum avenged the goddess' death, slaying two at once with his cloud blade. Finally, Exuro slew the last two demons with his fire spear and it was Pravus versus the two gods. _

_Caelum was the first victim, falling to a lucky strike from Pravus' sword. Exuro and Pravus faced each other, rotating around the field of death. At the end, however, they attacked at the same time. Exuro's spear pierced Pravus's body from stomach to spine. However, Pravus managed to thrust his sword through Exuro's throat before he died. _

_So, at the end, the only people left on the world were the humans. _

_  
---_

"I see…" Isaac nodded thoughtfully. "Hmmm…Thank you for the story, Kyril. I will remember it when I search through the libraries of Sienne."

"Why does this matter? I haven't heard of Pravus's name in a very long time." Kyril asked. "It is an old story and barely any people even know his name."

"Let's just say…His name has come up very often recently." Isaac grimaced, looking hard ahead of him. "More often than I would like…"

"Hmmm…Pravus's story intrigues me, though." Kyril muttered. "He wouldn't have committed any of his evil actions if he only received recognition for his powers or deeds. Is it a crime to want someone to acknowledge your accomplishments? I wonder…if Pravus was still alive in this world…Would he have been an evil god?" He stood up and walked away, murmuring to himself.

"Kyril?" Caroline turned to look at the monk, who ignored her. "Isaac, do you know why Kyril acts like that?"

"How should I know? You've known him longer than I have."

"I just don't understand him at all. He's a monk of Ashera and dedicated to her teachings. Why does he question her so much? Why doesn't he believe in her?" Caroline mused out loud.

"Everyone has their questions. His questions just deal with his faith whereas mine deal with my future. What do your questions deal with?" Isaac asked curiously.

"My questions? My questions deal with myself." Caroline let out a laugh and stood. "I'll speak with you later. Questioners should always exchange ideas."

_---_

Pravus looked at his assembled demons. His Maluin stood in front of him, grinning wildly at the aspect of warfare and destruction. The god raised his arms in triumph and addressed the horde. "My demons, now is our time to rise back from the dark! Show this world that we all belong in this world, that we are one with this world! That we should _rule_ this world!"

The demons cheered and Pravus smiled. "However, there are some that are determined to stop our progress. They wish to research about us in the great library of Sienne. That is why I want to split our forces. Some will travel to Crimea to assault the mercenaries' home base. The others will travel to Sienne…" Pravus grinned, "and set fire to the city."

"You and you! Assault the headquarters! Do anything you want! Just make those mercenaries dead!"

The two Maluin departed with their own regiments of demons. Pravus pointed to the last two Maluin. "You two will assault the capital city of Sienne. Do not bring many demons and if you do, make sure they won't get noticed by the populace."

One of the demons departed, motioning with five of his lesser brethren. The last demon stayed behind, watching as Pravus walked down towards her. The black haired god placed a hand on her shoulder, a comforting smile on his face. "I know you're unused to this, but I have the utmost confidence in you. Maya, you can do this."

She brushed back his brown hair and smiled, holding a coiled whip in her hands. It was, ironically, the same whip that Pravus used to convert her into a demon. Pravus had given her the whip as a gift to christen her rise to demonhood. "Thank you, my lord. I could never do all this without you by my side."

"Thank me by completing your mission to the utmost of your abilities, Maya. You might be new to our ranks, but nobody doubts your prowess. You are one of us, Maya. Now make us proud." Pravus smiled and pecked her on the cheek.

"I won't fail any of you!" Maya said, bowing. She departed, racing towards Sienne as fast as she could. Pravus watched her leave, stroking his bare chin with one of his hands.

He smiled and stretched. "Ah…Maya, you truly are one of us and I couldn't be more proud."

_---_

"So this is Sienne…" Isaac breathed. "It might not compare to the capital of Daein before it was destroyed, but it is remarkable in its own right. The monastery to Ashera is amazing."

"The pride and joy of Begnion." Kyril muttered angrily. "People spend more time on looks than on prayer. The people that we claim are bishops are nothing more than those that have money. They buy their way into the church. They aren't devout. They aren't divine. They are criminals, criminals of the soul, criminals of the spirit."

"Father…I wonder if I can return…" Caroline whispered under her breath. She shook her head and looked worriedly at Kyril, who looked uncharacteristically angry.

"Amazing…" Sarai breathed. "I can't believe I'm actually here."

Shirley looked distastefully at the city. "A place overcome by greed, by gluttony. Spending much more money on appearances besides helping those that are in need. Ashera is ashamed of these people…"

"Quite a fun place." Arrin reined in his horse and looked at the city. "I hear they have some of the best brothels in all of Tellius."

"My type of town!" Cyrus said joyously, grinning. "Oh boy, can't wait to see what type of fun I can rustle up."

"Animals…" Aran grimaced, looking angrily at the two jokers.

"Wow…How much money was invested in this place? I could become rich from one of the wallstones of this place!" Rima gasped, looking at the various riches scattered throughout the city.

"Give me strength…" Eliza prayed.

"Okay, people. Let's find lodging and we'll set out on our mission." Isaac clapped his hand and walked towards the city. He would find out everything he needed to know and therefore, he would find a way to wipe out this Pravus nuisance once and for all. God or not, everyone falls to a well-timed strike of a spear.

* * *

Chris: Well, I hoped you enjoyed this. I might update sporadically, but don't count on it. I probably will get to the part where…Uh…No spoilers. Anyway, I'll go to a part where the storyline takes a break before slipping into a new story arc. Of course, you might want to kill me because of where I stop…but you can't find me! HAH! 

Just kidding. Anyway, review please!


	13. Mission 13: Fire in Sienne

Chris: Here's another chapter for Restoration! Yep. Read on and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't the world of Tellius. Most of the characters are mine, though. And some OCs are property of their creators.

Note: To those that still send in OCs, I kindly ask that you put it in a PM, not in a review.

* * *

**Mission 13: Fire in Sienne**

"So this is the Great Library of Sienne…" Isaac said to himself in awe, staring at the huge marble building that towered over them. The mercenary leader was impressed by the amount of wealth they had poured into the building, from the gold edgings on the rock to the jewels that were mounted on the doors. He _was_ disgusted by the fact that Begnion spent so much money on looks instead of other, more important things.

"Wow…" Sarai breathed, still slightly overwhelmed by the beauty and lavishness of the city. "What are we looking for?"

"Books about the gods." Kyril said, his hands tucked deeply in his robes.

Isaac had decided to bring Kyril and Sarai along with him for various reasons. Kyril for the simple fact that he was a monk and a native of Sienne and would hopefully be able to search the library halls with ease. Sarai because she had sharp eyes and since she had spent so much time with him already, it wouldn't hurt for her to stick with him a little longer.

"Come on, let's go inside." Isaac pushed open the wooden doors and entered the library. What he saw stunned everyone, including Kyril. Probably every book ever published in the entire world was catalogued in this library. It was so big that you couldn't even see the other side of the library. There were stacks of books lining every wall and some were even hanging from racks tied to the ceiling.

"Uh…Where do we look first?" Sarai squeaked.

"Follow me." Kyril said, heading towards one of the open rows. Isaac and Sarai exchanged glances before following him. If they weren't able to find the book, at least they would get some nice exercise touring the place.

_­---_

"I'm sooooo bored…"

"Yaleus, you're the leader. If you want fun, you should make it." Wesley yawned, sprawled over one of the couches in the band headquarters. The thief was looking even more disheveled than normal, with his hair splayed out in different directions and his clothes looking no better than the rags he first wore when he joined the mercenaries.

"Make it how? Commit a crime?" Yaleus yawned, placing a hand over his wide mouth. "Look, as much as I like action, that is not the action I prefer. Anyway, how's everyone else doing?"

"Zane and Aura are out…somewhere." Wesley said vaguely, waving his hand in the air. "Raele is practicing his lute outside. Thanas and Laisa are enjoying a lunch somewhere in the town and Anair is practicing her archery outside. I think that's everyone, right?"

"Nope, nope." Yaleus returned lazily. "Those two new people. Sylia and Valkin."

"Oh…Right. Valkin is…ummm…" Wesley sat up. "I don't know what he's doing. And whatever he's doing, you know Sylia is going to be nearby. You'd think she was his bodyguard or something."

"It's probably not too far off from the truth." The temporary leader said. "Did Valkin ever tell you how he met that raven laguz?"

"Nope. It never crossed my mind to ask him." The thief stretched and yawned.

"Apparently, Valkin was a member of the Begnion army when they assaulted Daein. Along the way to Tor Garen to help reinforce Ike's troops, a force of ravens and Daeins attacked them. Although caught by surprise, they quickly rallied under the commander's flag and managed to beat back the Daein force. Valkin's own regiment of mages was nearly destroyed, however, and at the end only four of his troops remained. While searching for bodies, Valkin stumbled across the bloodied body of Sylia. He found out that she was still alive and although a part of him wanted to destroy her for killing his soldiers, he instead healed her and cared for her." Yaleus took in a deep breath. "Sylia has followed him ever since. I think she has a honor complex."

"May be." Wesley shrugged. "I wonder where he is right now."

"Right behind you."

"Holy shit!" Wesley jumped out of his seat and spun around. "Don't _do_ that, Valkin! That's my trademark!"

"Sorry." Valkin said, running a hand through his shaggy gray-brown hair. His shining blue eyes peeked through the hair that covered them and Wesley could see that he was happy about something. "Anyway, guess what I heard."

"What?" Wesley asked, half-interested.

"I finally got us a new job!" Valkin said excitedly. "Apparently, there's been this swordsman that has been killing people at night. They say he's a virtual demon with his blade and leaves only the victim's head when he's done. Anyway, our mission is to track him down and kill him."

"And you think we can handle this?" Yaleus raised an eye skeptically.

"Eh…It's probably all talk." Valkin brushed aside Yaleus's concerns. "Besides, I'm certain we can handle it. Right, Sylia?" He turned to face the teal-blue haired raven laguz. Sylia stared at Valkin with an unreadable expression and nodded almost imperceptibly.

"I think we can. The pay is good."

"See? It's simple." Valkin said confidently.

"Oh yeah? And where is this monster?"

"Oh…" Valkin's smile dropped from his face. "Hmm…I didn't think of that. Well, the last murder was actually around here, so I think if we just search the whereabouts, we should find him somewhere."

"What are you talking about?" Anair walked inside, her long lavender-white hair tied up in a single pigtail. Her bow was tied up on her back and she looked skeptically at the assembled mercenaries. "Something about a monster?"

"The way your sweat clings on you makes you only more beautiful! In all aspects! Hey, want me to give you a massage?" Wesley piped up, an eager look on his face.

"Have you been taking lessons from Raele?" Anair asked amusedly, a small grin on her face.

"Yeah! Did it work?" Wesley asked.

"No." The archer shook her head.

"Dammit!" The thief cursed. "By Ashera, that bard lied to me!"

"I didn't lie to you, per se. But seeing you just made my day." The bard strolled in the headquarters, grinning as he strummed his lute.

"Bah, I knew you were watching me. I didn't think it would work myself. I was just giving it a shot just to give you a chance." Wesley replied flippantly.

"Well, since Valkin got us a job, let's see who gets to go. Unfortunately, since I have to take care of this place, I have to stay." Yaleus grumbled. "I never get any fun. As such, I'm going to make sure nobody else has any fun."

Yaleus nodded to the others. "Gather everyone and tell them to be at the war room within an hour. I need to get assignments ready. I expect everyone to be there. If anyone is late, they get to stay here with me and help me clean up the mansion." He grinned wickedly.

_---_

"I see you took my warning seriously." Yaleus said, staring at the assembled fighters. He smirked. "Still, some of you will get to spend some fun-filled days with me. Raele, Mizu, Valkin, Aura, and Sylia. You're staying here with me."

Mizu looked disappointed and just nodded her head. Valkin grimaced and exchanged looked with Sylia, who simply shrugged without saying a word. Raele sighed and shook his head while Aura nodded, looking relieved.

"Don't look so down. I won't be _that_ bad of a leader." Yaleus reassured them. "Now, for the party that's going to go track down the demon." He took in a deep breath. "Thanas, you're in command."

"What? _Me?_" Thanas asked in disbelief, standing up. "No way! I'm barely old enough to qualify as a fighter, let alone a mission commander! Having Zane be in charge! He's older!"

"I asked him and he declined."

"Why?" Thanas turned towards the spiky haired man, who smiled.

"I never liked telling people what to do."

"But…But, there has to be someone else who can do this job! I'm too inexperienced for this." Thanas said, looking pleadingly at the others. "I don't want to be responsible for people's lives…"

"I'm sorry, Thanas. It's a strong burden, but I think you can handle it. I've seen you fight. You're unpolished, to be sure, but I have confidence in your skills." Yaleus said. "Now, as for the people going with you…You'll be accompanied by Zane, Wesley, Anair, and Laisa."

"I understand." Thanas nodded solemnly. "Okay, I won't let you down!"

"I wish you the best of luck. May Ashera be with you."

_---_

"Did you find anything?" Isaac asked across the isle at Sarai, who shook her head. "Sigh…This library is too big. We'll never find what we need." His eyes scanned the books in front of him. He was in the right section, where books about religion and mythology were kept, but none of them pertained to his problems.

"Sorry I can't be of more help, boss." Sarai whispered sadly.

"That's okay. Don't worry about it. It's not like Kyril is having any better luck."

"I heard that." The monk said blandly from the other side of the bookcase. He walked around and frowned at the two mercenaries. "This is a library. Lower your voices. Did you find anything?"

"An interesting book about religion and sex, but nothing pertaining to demons or Pravus." Isaac showed Kyril the book he had retrieved. The monk grimaced and looked distastefully at the hardcover book.

"Trash. I'm ashamed that these books even exist." He gave a sigh. "Well, I've had some luck. I found two books about demons in general, although all books about Pravus seem to be missing."

Sarai sniffed in the air. "Hey…do you notice something burning?"

Isaac sniffed the air as well. "Yeah, you're right. It doesn't seem like somebody is cooking something. There's some different odor…"

"**FIRE!** The library is on fire!"

The three mercenaries exchanged glances. Isaac frowned. "This is too big of a coincidence. I've never heard of the Great Library of Sienne ever catching on fire before."

"That's because it hasn't!" Kyril shouted. "The outer walls are made of solid stone. The only way to set fire to this building is by the inside. And the guards remove any weapons or tomes that entrants may carry."

"Let's get out of here!" Sarai said.

"Okay, you go first. I'll be right behind you."

"Come on, Sarai. We'd better leave before we suffocate." Kyril grabbed the archer's hand and headed for the entrance.

Isaac's gaze strayed back towards the books and one is particular caught his eye. He didn't notice the volume earlier and when he pulled it out, he discovered that it was a book detailing the life of Pravus and of the dark god's powers. _'This is too good to be a coincidence.'_

Taking the book firmly, Isaac rushed outside of the library to meet up with Sarai and Kyril. "Hey, why'd you two stop?"

"Look." Kyril said tonelessly and Isaac's gaze lifted. What he saw took the breath out of his lungs. The city of Sienne was in flames. It was as if divine retribution had come down on the Begnion capital for their burning of the Serenes Forest in the long years past. People ran past them, screaming for help. The cries of the dying and the wounded surrounded them and there was the unmistakable odor of soot in the air.

"This is Pravus's work! I'm sure of it!" Isaac cursed. "Come on, Sarai, Kyril. We have to help them! Kyril, where's the closest well in the city?"

"Right this way." The monk motioned down one of the side streets. As they were about to turn down the alleyway, a flaming board of wood crashed down on top of the road, sealing off the route and blinding them temporarily.

"Ah…So you are Isaac…"

"What? Who said that?" Isaac swore as he realized he left his spear back at the library. He grimaced as he thought of his father's spear, which had probably burned down to nothing more than ash.

"Just an admirer." A young, gallant-looking man stepped through the flames, a thin rapier at his side. "My master has ordered me to eliminate you. I hope you don't mind at all if I were to…plunge this into your body."

"Get back!" Isaac backed away, facing the servant of Pravus. "We can't fight him now! We have to leave the city! NOW!"

"I can't allow that." The soldier shook his head sadly. "Prepare to die, Isaac Tritheon." He leaped forward, rotating his sword in a small circular motion. He stepped forward with a quick lunge, piercing Isaac's side.

"Gah!" The leader of the mercenaries yelled out angrily, feeling the blood well out of the wound. He looked at where Sarai and Kyril were standing. "I told you to leave! Get back to base!"

"Fine! We'll be waiting. But here!" Sarai threw Isaac a lance. "It was outside the library!"

Isaac's hands clasped the cool, smooth wood and a feeling of reassurance flowed through him. It was his father's spear. Luckily for him, it hadn't been damaged by the fire. He smiled gratefully at Sarai. "Thanks! Get out of here!"

"Right!" Sarai and Kyril turned and ran, leaving Isaac alone with the soldier.

"I'm sorry to run…But I have pressing matters to attend to!" Isaac dashed off, ignoring the flaring pain that emanated from his wound. The servant of Pravus watched him with a small smile on his face.

He bowed. "Farewell. It was nice fighting you. Perhaps later, then."

_---_

Isaac ran through the city, the book of Pravus tucked under his shoulder and his spear clutched his other hand. Blood flowed freely from his side, staining his leather armor and shirt an ugly red color. He tried to ignore the cries of the helpless around him, but stopped as he heard the cry of a young girl.

"Daddy! Daddy!"

Glaring inwardly at the delay, Isaac stopped and faced the girl. "What's wrong?"

"My daddy's trapped in the house and he hasn't come out! Please help him!" The girl pointed to a house that was burning. Isaac dropped all of his things and ran inside the burning building, ignoring the searing heat that seemed to melt his skin. He looked around wildly, brushing away the soot that had already collected around his eyes. Isaac dashed through the first hallway he saw and was rewarded by the sound of a man yelling for help.

Isaac burst into the scene and halted, stunned. The girl's father was standing in front of him and a young girl that was holding a whip was in the room as well. The girl unfurled her whip and sent it spinning towards the man's neck, wrapping the spikes around the flesh and tearing out the man's throat. Isaac yelled in shock, his eyes wide.

The girl turn to face him and Isaac was struck by the second surprise. The young girl looked familiar…too familiar. In fact, she was wearing the ribbon that he had given her when he had first left home.

"_Maya?_" Isaac breathed.

"Who are you?" The girl asked, tapping her whip in her hands. "Never mind. My mission is done." She leapt out of one of the windows. Isaac chased after her, but she rapidly disappeared from her sight. A rumble from above him reminded him of the danger her was in and Isaac rushed out of the house, coughing as the smoke finally started to affect him.

He collapsed once he exited the house, beating out the flames that had erupted on his pants and his clothes.

"Mister? Is my daddy…?" The young girl's innocent voice reached Isaac's eyes and he shut his eyes in grief, feeling tears peeking out.

"I'm sorry…" Isaac whispered.

"No! Daddy!" The girl shrieked and rushed towards the house. Isaac grasped her by the collar of her blouse and restrained her from entering. "Let me go! I want my daddy!"

"No…"

"Daddy! Daddy!" The girl looked with her tear-streaked face as the house slowly collapsed due to the fire. A blast of dust and soot washed over them and the two of them were overcome with coughing. But soon, the dust settled and only the remains of the house were left. "_Daddy!_"

She collapsed to the ground, sobbing. Isaac slowly lifted her up to his shoulders and gathered his things. "I'm sorry…"

"Daddy…" The girl sobbed.

Slowly, Isaac headed for the exit of Sienne, leaving the burning city to its own devices. He had tried his best, but there was nothing else he could do for the tortured inhabitants. Taking one last look at the ashes floating in the air, Isaac shook his head. This was just another thing that Pravus would have to atone for.

_---_

Thanas and his small company set out for the outskirts of Melior, keeping their eyes open. Rumors pointed them to the forests north of the capital and soon they were trekking through the dense woodland. Soon, they were able to find signs that someone had been in the area recently. Branches had been cut off and there were gouges in the tree bark.

A terrified female scream sent them towards a clearing where a cloaked being was standing over a female villager, a sword at her heart. The cloaking figure hissed angrily. "Stop crying, woman, or else I'll make this twice as hard on you."

"Stop!" Thanas shouted, unsheathing his hatchet from his back. "Leave her alone!"

"Ah…The cavalry have arrived." The cloaked figure said. "I guess I have no use for you, then." He swiftly thrust his sword through the woman's throat and leaped away, dashing through the trees.

His movements were so quick that no one was able to track them. Anair ran towards the fallen body and shook her head. "Nope. Not surprising, considering how efficient that man was. I don't think we're up to the challenge. Valkin must have underestimated this guy's strength and skill."

"Nevertheless…We still have to fight. We can't give up!" Thanas gripped his axe tightened. "Come on! We're got a monster to kill!"

* * *

Chris: Well, there you have it! The beginning of Pravus's plans! You'll just have to wait to see what happens next! Of course, I have the rest of this story arc all planned out, so you probably won't need to wait long. 


	14. Mission 14: Demons

Chris: Before I continue, I need to ask something from my readers. I need to know whom you think Isaac should be paired up with. So tell me in a review whether he should be paired with Sarai, Eliza, or Maya. Anair is also a viable ending, but I made the story Wesley/Anair on purpose so I'm cutting off chances of a Isaac/Anair ending. I'm leaning towards Isaac/Sarai, but I want to see what you all think first.

* * *

**Mission 14: Demons**

Thanas and his group chased after the figure, trying to track his movements. Suddenly, they burst into a clearing and saw the man, who had taken of his cloak. Their foe was a tall, blond haired man and undeniably handsome. He had glittering blue eyes, a seductive smile and they could see that he had well-toned muscles that showed through his tight clothes. The man also held a sword loosely in his hand and there were a variety of gadgets attached to his back.

"Halt!" Thanas called out bravely, his axe held in his hand. "We've come to hunt you down for your crimes!" The red-haired axe user motioned to the rest of the mercenaries, telling them to spread out and surround their enemy. "Repent for your sins!"

"Repent?" The man let out a laugh, holding a hand to his slick hair. "Hahahaha! You make me laugh, little boy! You are not much older than a child, play acting at being a hero! And you presume to tell me to repent for _my_ crimes?"

"Grr…" Thanas gripped his axe tightly. Laisa walked up to him and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down, Thanas. He just wants to get you angry." The crimson haired mage glared at the murderer and withdrew her tome. "Don't let him razz you like that. You've been doing fine."

"Aww…Isn't that sweet?" The man cooed mockingly. "If you aren't going to make the first move, then I will!" He seemed to disappear and materialize right in front of Thanas, swinging his sword. It was only pure luck that saved Thanas at that moment, as he managed to fall out of the way of the slash.

"Ugh!" Thanas landed on the ground, hard. He quickly scrambled up and brought his hatchet in front of him. He looked at the rest of the mercenaries and pointed at the murderer. "Come on, guys! Let's get him!"

Wesley attacked first, his dagger spinning in his hands as he switched positions. The thief jumped over his foe and swung his dagger behind him, hoping to catch him by surprise. However, the murderer was sneakier and grasped the thief's leg and threw him to the side, tossing him against a tree.

"Agh!" Wesley groaned as he fell on his knee. An angry gash had appeared on his knee and he struggled to get upright, stumbling slightly as tried to regain his balance. Anair was quickly at his side, shooting arrows rapidly at the swordsman and cursing as he managed to dodge each shot. "Ah…The goddess herself has come. What luck…"

"Save your breath, Wesley. Now is the time for battle, however hopeless it is." Anair shot her last arrow and threw her bow down in disgust as she missed again. "Damn it all! He's too fast for even me to track!"

Zane stood calmly to the side, aiming his arquebus at the murderer. He let loose and shot and grimaced as he missed. "He's a demon at speed!"

"…" Thanas had no chance to reply. All of his attention was devoted to making sure he wasn't going to get killed. The man's sword flickered past his axe and stuck him in the legs, the arms, and the chest, everywhere. After a couple of moments, Thanas was covered in miniscule cuts, none of them fatal, but all of them dangerous.

Laisa helplessly launched blast after blast of wind at the swordsman, who still seemed to dodge even with his attack on Thanas. The mage was getting panicked. No matter what their efforts were, their opponent seemed to dodge without a care in the world, seeming to glide in the wind. Taking a deep breath, Laisa focused her energy into defeating the swordsman.

She erased the scene in front of her from her mind. There was only the magic and the swordsman. Moving her hands, she directed the magic to envelop him, giving him no chance to escape. Murmuring words under her breath, she crossed her hands over her chest. Her fingers splayed out, she opened her azure eyes wide and threw an open palm forward, calling on every inch of magic that she could control.

A whirling ball of wind exploded from her hands and enveloped the swordsman, drawing dirt, branches, and stones from the ground into the maelstrom. They swarmed the blond haired man, cutting his skin and bashing his fingers. He hung suspended from the air, floating from the wind that surrounded him. After a couple of minutes, the ball of wind disappeared and he collapsed on the ground, barely breathing.

"I…I did it…" Laisa said in wonder, her fingers trembling with adrenaline. "Did…Is he dead?" The mage crept forward nervously, looking down at their fallen foe.

"Laisa! Watch out!" Thanas cried as the swordsman suddenly leapt up and pushed Laisa away. The fighter jumped to her side, cradling her as she dropped to the ground. He looked worriedly at her. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah…" Laisa breathed. "I thought…I thought I had won."

"You were wrong, girlie! But you are intriguing…You seem to have a nice amount of power over the elements. I'll save you for last." The swordsman smirked before facing the other mercenaries. "You all can sleep. Nice dreams…"

"Wha-?" Wesley managed to say before the swordsman appeared in front of him, grasping him by the throat. The grip tightened and the thief was slammed into the ground, coughing up blood. Laughing insanely, the swordsman threw the thief away and focused on his next victim, Anair.

The lavender-white haired archer had managed to draw a small knife, but it proved to be useless. The swordsman punched her roughly in the stomach, causing her to lose her grip on the knife. Using his other hand, he grappled the back of her neck and flipped her over his fist onto her back. Grinning, he stamped down hard on her stomach with his boot. Anair coughed in pain and cringed, drawing her body into a ball. The swordsman responded by kicking her in the side, cracking a couple of the archer's ribs.

Zane was next. Ignoring his arquebus, the swordsman grabbed his sword and slashed the gunman across the side. Wincing, Zane staggered, unable to catch up to the speedier man. The swordsman slammed the pommel of his sword on the back of Zane's head, putting him out of the fight.

Now, the only two left conscious were Thanas and Laisa. Laisa was behind Thanas, chanting the words of magic as she weaved another spell. The swordsman smirked and attacked Thanas, swinging lazily, almost as if he _wanted_ Thanas to hit him.

'_What is he doing?'_ The stray thought crossed Thanas's mind as he swung downwards and caught the man across the chest. He pressed the attack, hoping that somehow, his attack had given him an advantage. However, it turned out that the swordsman was just playing with him.

"Hahahaha! It is so amusing to fight someone who is protecting his love!" The swordsman laughed. "But you are so weak, you can't do anything to me! In fact, I don't even think you know who I am!" He pointed to the place where Thanas's axe had cut his body. The wound was gone and the only mark was the ripped shirt. "But, it is time for you to go away and for me to claim my prize."

"Forget it! If you're after Laisa, I won't let you take her away!" Thanas cried.

"It's not your choice!" The swordsman moved once. In the next second, Thanas had been knocked to the side and Laisa was in front of him, wide open and vulnerable to attack. "Now, little girl, show me what you've got."

Laisa gladly obliged, launching her strongest magic against him. All it did was ruffle the man's hair and cause him to laugh again. She launched another attack, which he just shrugged aside. Screaming unintelligible words, she attacked over and over again until she only had strength enough to cast one last spell. At this, the man restrained her arms and prohibited her from using up the last of her magic.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!" Laisa shrieked. The man just smiled at her.

"Why should I? You're all mine, girl, and I'm not going to let you ruin the only chance I have of controlling you." He breathed the words in her ears and she squirmed in disgust.

"W-What do you mean?"

"Hi-yah!" Thanas screamed as he slashed the man across the back. He knew that this time, he wasn't being toyed with. His axe sunk deep inside the man's back and he was certain that he had dealt the deathblow.

"Urgh!" The man stumbled away, releasing Laisa and groaning. "Stronger than I thought…Oh well. I hated fighting in this pathetic form anyway." A small burst and the man disappeared, replaced by an even taller being, this one with two stubby horns on his head and a pointing tail whipping behind him. His skin was a deep-red, a shade lighter than Laisa's hair and his blue eyes sparkled malevolently. Pointing a clawed hand at the two mercenaries, he let out a large laugh. "Fear me now, for I am a demon!"

"Wha…Wha-?" Laisa said, her eyes widening. Thanas lowered his axe, overcome with fear and apprehension. Gulping, Laisa raised her hand and began her magic.

"_Eryke tith uron makyn rolama pulsus, procella!"_ Laisa intoned, but she faltered at the words and suddenly froze, her eyes wide. The small ball of wind that had formed in her hand suddenly flew backwards and she was surrounded by an eerie green glow. Laisa began coughing, her skin growing pale. She coughed one last time before falling on her knees, her eyes still wide open.

"Awww…I thought you were stronger than that, girl." The being cooed before turning to Thanas. "Oh well. She's mine now. And now for you…I find love so disgusting that I want to rip your head off and devour it. But, I believe I'll let your girlfriend kill you. That'll be treasure enough for me."

"What do you mean?" Thanas shouted, his axe back up in a defensive position.

"Laisa, come over here. I control you now." The demon pointed to Laisa, who stood and slowly staggered over to the demon's side. She was slumped on her feet, her once azure eyes now a flat, cobalt blue color. Her crimson hair seemed to have become deeper in color, emphasized by the now pale color of her skin. Laisa looked at Thanas with blank eyes, although the axe user had the scary feeling that she didn't know what she was doing.

"Laisa! What are you doing? He's the enemy!" Thanas shouted, but the mage didn't reply. "Laisa!"

"Elwind." The demon said, pointing at Laisa, then at Thanas. Laisa raised one hand, said a couple of words, and suddenly Thanas was blasted backwards into one of the tree, wincing in pain. One of his arms had gone numb and he knew that it would be useless for quite some time.

"Good work, Laisa. Now finish him off." The demon pointed at Thanas again. "Rexbolt."

Laisa opened her arms wide, beginning her chant. Thanas watched her in a sort of detached surprise.

'_Rexbolt? She never knew that spell…Thunder isn't her strong suit…What's going on?'_ Thanas could only look onward as lightning crackled across Laisa's fingers. She brought her palms together and slowly opened them. Inside the gap, a small ball of lightning was forming, powered by lines of lightning that came from her palms. She moved her hands around the lightning, slowly making it bigger and bigger.

"Laisa! Stop it!" Thanas screamed.

"Than…as?" Laisa whispered as her eyes slowly regained their color. The spell fizzled into the air and she looked around in surprise. "What…?"

"Grr…I'll need more work with you." The demon snapped his fingers and Laisa's eyes became blank once again. "I'll be back, little boy. I suggest you get stronger. It would be no fun to destroy you like this again."

"What have you done to her? And what is your name?" Thanas yelled angrily.

"It's simple. Demons such as I have an innate control over magic. By a simple spell, I can reverse the flow of magic so that instead of moving outside of a person, it flows backwards into the person. The oncoming rush of magic often overcomes any mage's internal systems, putting them under the control of the demon that caused the backwash. That's what happened to your girlfriend here. As for me, I am one of the Maluin of Pravus, ready to bring this world back into darkness. My name is Varash and soon, with the awakening of Diablo, this world shall be ours."

"Don't give me the technical stuff. I just wanted your name." Thanas spat on the ground.

"Oh, and why is that?" Varash's tail snaked up from Laisa's back and slowly wound itself around her neck. Thanas glared at the demon, unable to do anything else because of the pain spreading through his body.

"So I can find out who I need to kill." Thanas replied.

"We shall see…We shall see." The sharp tip of Varash's tail necked Laisa's throat, causing a small red line to appear. Small droplets of blood formed and the demon licked it off her neck with a long, black tongue. Laisa just remained still, her gaze blank as blood trickled down her neck. Thanas could only watch in rage.

"Farewell, child. Grow up." Varash disappeared as well as Laisa. Thanas watched the empty scene in front of him, hearing groans as the other mercenaries slowly woke up. The red haired boy's eyes began tearing up and he shut them.

'_Laisa…Dammit!'_ An image of the crimson haired mage flashed across his mind and his fists tightened. "I'll get you back, Laisa! I promise it!"

_---_

Isaac stumbled out of the burning city, the young girl still clinging to his shoulder. The mercenary grimaced as he felt his side growing faint with the loss of blood. _'At least she finally fell asleep.'_

"Isaac! What happened?" Sarai ran towards him, looking frightened. She calmed down as she saw that he was only carrying a child. A warm smile graced her face and she nodded at her leader. "You look really nice carrying the girl. I could imagine that you were married and she was your daughter."

"Heh…" Isaac chuckled and handed his things to Kyril, who had arrived after Sarai. "Hey, can you carry these things?" He handed his spear and bag to Kyril and patted the young girl on the head.

"Ah…Now this is a sight that Ashera would enjoy." Kyril said solemnly. "It's just too bad that this scene only came about from the horrible circumstances."

Sarai gently lifted the sleeping child from Isaac's arms and looked at her fondly. "Why is she with you?"

"I heard her crying for her father. He was in their burning house. I went to get him but…" The sentence trailed off and Sarai caught the hidden meaning of his words. She sighed in sorrow and looked at the girl sadly.

"What about her mother?"

"That's what I'm worried about. I found her standing alone. Either her mother was somewhere else or her mother…is dead."

"I understand. We'll find out the whole story later." Sarai said softly. "Come on, Isaac. It's late." She looked up at the darkening sky, which was turning gray with smoke. "Let's get some sleep. Maybe we can forget all about this."

"Forget? We can't forget. If we forget…history is doomed to repeat itself." Kyril said.

_---_

"Valkin, we have trouble." Sylia walked up to the mage, her teal-blue hair flowing behind her. The female laguz frowned as Valkin didn't turn and she was about to address him again when he interrupted her.

"I know. I've been watching them for an hour. They've been reinforced by their fellows periodically. I would suppose that there are around fifty of those soldiers positioned out of our headquarters." He turned around and Sylia saw that his brow was furrowed in concentration. The mage sighed and his shoulders slumped.

"I don't understand this. Their motives are mysterious and for all we know, they could be escorts for the Queen. But there's something…vicious about them. I believe that they're here to attack us."

"I agree." Sylia nodded.

"Then we have no chance, huh?" Valkin smiled in defeat. "Fifty against six? We can't stand against those numbers, even though we have some advantages. How will we survive this?"

"The same way we survived the battle near Tor Garen." Sylia responded. "By persevering."

The mage grinned. "You don't have to stay with me, you know. I'm sure the ravens of Kilvas will let you come back. No need for everyone to die."

"Forget it. I'm staying with you." Sylia responded.

"Heh, thanks. Now, let's see what we can do about this." Valkin walked away from the window and nodded at Sylia. "You want to come with me?"

"As always." She followed after the mage, her hands clasped behind her back.

As the two of them were heading for the war room, Raele collided with Valkin and sent both of them to the ground. The bard leaped upright and he helped Valkin up off of the ground. "Good thing I bumped into you! Yaleus is holding a conference about the soldiers outside."

"He already knows?"

"While he might not be the best, his sight can beat all of the rest." Raele said. "Let's go. We can't wait."

_---_

"Fifty against six…" Yaleus shook his head. "Impossible odds. However, we might be able to lower the losses with a little bit of luck and a great deal of skill." He looked up at the other mercenaries. "Who has the quickest feet?"

"Sylia." Valkin responded immediately. "As fast as the wind."

"No. I can't leave you." Sylia shook her head fiercely. "Besides, I'm also the best person here for reconnaissance. I'll be able to fly above and show you where the next attack is coming from."

"She does have a point." Yaleus shook his head. "Sylia is too valuable to lose at the moment. Mizu, can you do it?"

"Well, yeah." The cat-eared girl nodded apprehensively. "But where do you want me to go?"

"The mercenaries guild. The leader there is a good friend of mine. He's also a friend of Isaac and Sarai. If you tell him about our troubles, he could probably rouse all of the mercenaries there to help us out. We might even pick up a couple of new recruits." Yaleus quickly scribbled down a couple of words. "Give this note to Boors, the guy behind the bar. He'll recognize my handwriting."

"But they haven't attacked yet…" Mizu said.

"We can't delude ourselves. We know that the soldiers are going to attack us. The only thing we don't know is _when_." Yaleus smiled. "Now hurry up, Mizu. We're counting on you."

"O-Okay. I've got it." She stood up and was about to leave when Raele softly grabbed her hand. "What is it, Raele?"

"Mizu, I'll be praying for your success. Good luck and I'll be waiting for your return." The bard said solemnly.

"Thank you, Raele. It means a lot to know you're thinking about me…" Mizu nodded and dashed off before anyone could say another word.

"Whew…I hope this all works out." Yaleus sighed. "Now, about the defense of this place. Luckily for us, there's only one entrance at the front. Unfortunately for us, there's a ton of windows and I'm certain there are a couple of side entrances. With Mizu gone, we only have five people for defense. Valkin, get on the roof and burn as many of those soldiers as possible."

"Got it!" Valkin stood up, saluting briefly. "Oh, by the way, why haven't any of the citizens noticed all the buildup?"

"I don't know. We can't question things like that at the moment." Yaleus shook his head. "Raele, join me at the entrance and help me move some of the furniture. Got any of your special songs to help us out?"

"I've made a couple of songs just for this. I'll make sure those soldiers all miss."

"Good. Now…Sylia, you'll be in the air, correct?"

She nodded.

"Okay, I just want you to tell us where the soldiers are gathered. And when possible, lend us a hand."

"Right away."

"And finally…" Yaleus looked uneasily at the last mercenary, who was standing near the door with a worried look on her face. "Aura…"

"O-Oh!" The girl jumped nervously, winding a shawl through her fingers. "W-What can I do?"

"Can you fight?"

"Zane taught me some skills…but I don't want to fight. I'm scared, Yaleus. I won't be of any use." Aura stuttered. The purple haired girl seemed ready to run away at any moment.

"I understand." Yaleus sighed. "It's okay, Aura. Nobody expected you to fight. Don't worry and try to find someplace safe."

"Thank you…" Aura curtseyed quickly and dashed out of the room.

"…" Yaleus slammed his palms on the table, his head bowed. "Even Ashera can't get us out of a mess like this…So we might as well give it all we've got."

* * *

Chris: Just one more chapter before everything wraps up and Restoration goes on break! I bet you can't wait to see what happens next! And if you can wait, don't tell me. I don't need to know. Review please and don't forget to say whom you want Isaac to be paired with! 


	15. Mission 15: Defeat in Victory

Chris: Okay, now that you've all voted…There's two votes for Isaac/Sarai, one for Isaac/Maya (technically, all he said was not Isaac/Eliza), and one for Isaac/Eliza. So Isaac/Sarai wins, which is good because the story was geared towards Isaac/Sarai anyway.

Anyway, here's the next chapter of Restoration!

Note: To those who submitted OCs in reviews, I will _not_ accept characters unless you submit them in PMs. Everyone else who submitted OCs did so by reviews, so I'm keeping that tradition. I don't want people to review just to submit an OC. It seems stupid to me. So, to the ones already in my review area…Give me a better description in a PM and don't leave it in a review or else I will _not_ use your character.

* * *

**Mission 15: Defeat in Victory**

"It's night already…" Isaac looked up at the stars, a rare look of wonder on his face. "I've always liked looking up at the stars. Do you believe the legend that the souls of the virtuous shine as stars?" He sat down on the grass and lay down on his back, his arms folded behind his head.

"Hmmm?" Sarai looked down and joined him. "Eh, I dunno. I've never thought about stuff like that."

"They say that if you've lived a long, honorable life, Ashera will grant you the chance to become a star, so that you may watch over your friends from the skies." Isaac shrugged. "I never believed it myself, but it sounds interesting. I wonder if it's true."

"You never know." Sarai looked at Isaac. "Hmm…How do you think everyone else is doing back home?"

"I'm sure they're fine…They can handle themselves." Isaac said. "Hey Sarai?"

"Yeah? What is it, Isaac?" Sarai asked.

"I'm glad you're here with me." He turned on his side to face her and he grinned. His gloved hand landed gently on Sarai's head and he ruffled her blue hair playfully. "There's no one else I'd like to have with me more. I'm counting on you."

Sarai blushed and took Isaac's hand in her own. "Thanks Isaac. It means a lot."

_---_

"Eliza…I have something to tell you."

"Yes, Master?"

"You have a mission to do. Come with me. Do not tell anyone that you're leaving. It is time for my plan to be completed."

"Of course, Master. I'll get ready right away."

"Good Eliza. Soon, this whole world will see what is it like to be under the rule of demons."

_---_

Mizu stumbled through the streets of Melior, panting in fright as she looked behind her. When she had left the mansion through one of the side doors, some of the soldiers had noticed her and begun the chase. Strangely enough, even though Mizu was certain she was faster than the soldiers were, they didn't seem like they were falling behind at all. As a matter of fact, they seemed to be catching up.

"Stop, you sub-human beast!" One of the soldiers cried out, throwing a javelin in Mizu's direction. The cat-eared laguz dodged the projectile and turned down a side alley, hoping to find some way to escape from her pursuers.

'_Where is the Mercenary's Guild?'_ Mizu thought to herself as she continued running, looking around frantically for any signs of help. However, there were no other people in sight, as if the whole population had disappeared and only the mercenaries were left. She brightened as she saw the familiar sign and she threw open the door.

"Boors, we need your help!" She cried out.

"Huh?" The barkeep looked at the laguz, a damp rag in his hands. "Mizu, what's wrong?"

"We're…under attack!" Mizu panted, handing Boors a note. "We need…help."

"Here. Get this down your throat." He tossed her a bottle of water and looked down at the note. "Yep, this is Yaleus' handwriting. Seems you're in a bit of a pickle. Okay, men!" He slammed his hands down at the counter, gaining the attention of the various mercenaries gathered there. "One of our kind is in trouble and it's up to us to help him out! If you do help, you _will_ get paid for your services and you might just get hired by the leader of this mercenary band! And for those that perform the best, I'll give you a free mug of my twenty year-old scotch!"

"I'm there!" A young man wearing a bright headband leaped up from his seat, a thin lance clutched in his hands. "Let me get my wyvern! Boors, you'll lead us, right?"

"Of course!" Boors ducked under the counter and heaved up a heavy chest. Unlocking it, he revealed a shiny suit of plate mail, lovingly taken care of. He lifted up the gray steel and sighed. "Ah…I haven't worn this in ages. It's time for a warm up!"

Mizu sighed in relief. Maybe now they had a chance.

_---_

"They seem to be waiting for morning." Sylia alighted next to Valkin, who was perched on the roof.

"Why? The sun is setting and the darkness will give them an advantage. It doesn't make much sense from a tactical point of view. The only benefit they would gain from waiting until morning is a good night's sleep." Valkin scratched his chin, frowning.

"And they deprive us of the chance of sleep." Sylia countered. "We have to be aware of their movements, which makes us unable to grab any sleep. They can come and go as they please, because they aren't worried about attack."

"Shit…You're right." Valkin shook his head. "And they still have claimed their intentions. Attacking first could trigger something we can't stop." He took in a deep breath and summoned a small fireball in one hand. Grimacing, he crushed it in his hand, looking at the wisps of flame that erupted. "I hate this."

_---_

"Are we all assembled?" Boors looked down at the small group in front of him, his armor strapped on. The visor of his steel helm was pulled up and his fierce eyes pierced every person around him. "Okay, we all remember Isaac, that little Daein kid that came to us with only a lance and an purpose! It's time for us to make sure he doesn't return to see that all of his work was destroyed!"

Mizu fidgeted impatiently, eager to return to her friends in order to help them fight. She didn't want to tell the freelance fighters to hurry up, because they were helping her, but it was impossible for her to restrain her impatience from showing.

"Who's here?" Boors cried.

"Mact and Shiven, reporting!" The young mercenary from earlier spoke up, rubbing the back of his red-scaled wyvern. His tanned skin barely showed up against the black night, but his colorful headband distinguished him from the crowd.

"Tataka here." Another man, this one with a heavy double-bladed axe, motioned.

"Tawny, ready for action and eager to spill some blood!" A young woman with multiple braids grinned widely, patting the daggers that were belted to her waist.

"Sayan is here, along with his partner Serena." A rougish-looking teenager, whose dark-green hair appeared black in the night, waved at Boors, lightning crackling between his fingers. Serena, who was standing beside him with folded arms, nodded and poked Sayan in the side, telling him to keep quiet.

"I guess that's it." Boors sighed. "I was hoping that more people would come, but I can't blame them. Risking your life for someone else is usually not how mercenaries act. Sorry I couldn't be of more help, Mizu."

"It's more than enough. Come on, we have to get to my friends as quickly as possible!"

_---_

"They're attacking!"

The shout woke Valkin from his sleep and the mage cursed at himself for sleeping at such an important time. Looking down from the roof, he saw that the soldiers were indeed attacking, trying to bash down the front door.

Not bothering with any of the fancy stuff, Valkin turned to the most basic fire attack spell that he knew. Reading the cryptic words, he called fire into his hands and hurled it down at the mass of soldiers, setting their clothes on fire and surprising around half of them. There was no time to rest, however, as some of the enemy's archers spotted him and started raining arrows at him. Valkin ducked and hid behind the chimney spout, throwing fireballs haphazardly behind him.

'_This is not happening.'_ Valkin thought to himself as he chanced a quick look over his barrier. He reflexively shot off a fireball at the soldiers that were standing in front of him and stumbled backwards. "How'd you get up here so fast?"

The soldiers didn't answer. One of them stabbed a lance at the mage and Valkin dodged. However, that brought him in range of another soldier, who plunged his sword into Valkin's side. The mage fell to his knees, pain flooding every nerve in his body.

"I can't…believe this. This quickly…I die?"

"Not while I'm around!" Sylia screeched as she transformed into her raven form and plunged towards the soldiers. Immediately, her talons tore through one of the soldier's armor and plunged into his chest, spraying blood and gore all of his her body. She flung the dead body at another soldier, knocking the soldier off the roof. Her beak tore through the last soldier's throat and she threw the corpse over the edge.

"Sylia? Heh…You didn't have to do that…" Valkin breathed, trying to stem the flow of blood around the sword that was piercing his body. "Phew…I must be getting old."

Sylia transformed back into her human form, clicking her tongue. "Don't be silly. You're only twenty." She rummaged through a pouch at her side and uncovered a small vial of healing paste. "You'll have to do this yourself. I need to get back to the battle."

"Thanks." Valkin said, accepting the vial. Trying not to wince, he placed his hands on the hilt of the sword and yanked the sword out of his body. Gasping as a new rush of pain flowed through him, he quickly pasted his clothes around the wound to stem the flow. He opened the vial and quickly applied the putrid-smelling mixture. "I just hope nobody else is having this type of trouble."

While he was saying that, Yaleus was busy trying to fend off one of the soldiers that had burst through one of the windows. He slashed downwards, breaking his opponent's weapon and severing the man's head from his shoulders. "Raele!"

"Busy!" The bard replied, bringing down the concealed blade of his lute crashing down on a soldier's head. "See if you can tell which one is me! But we all are real, as the surprise may be!" Multiple images of the bard appeared in the air and they all set to work attacking the soldiers. But while the swords that attacked the images passed through empty air, the illusions could seemingly kill the soldiers as more of their attackers fell to their feet.

"Where'd you get that?" Yaleus shouted over the din.

"A great musician taught it to me! I am just a pupil, you see."

"Some pupil…" Yaleus muttered under his breath as he blocked the downward swipe of an axe. Sidestepping, he brought his sword up under the armpit, slicing through the unprotected part of the soldier's body and killing him.

_---_

"There they are!" Mizu hissed as the small volunteer unit came across the soldiers. From what she could see, her friends were holding their own, although the front door had collapsed and there was no sign of Valkin on the roof. Her sharp eyes spotted a small contingent of soldiers sneaking around the back and she motioned to Boors. "We need to stop them!"

"I agree. Sayan, Serena? Go with Mizu and kill those soldiers."

"Got it." Serena nodded, her heavy two-handed sword clutched in her hands.

"The things I do for money…" Sayan sighed. "Whatever, let's go."

"All right." The three of them raced towards the soldiers, intent on taking them by surprise. Mizu let out a yowl as she fell on all fours and morphed into her cat form. She quickly leaped on one of the soldiers, partially enjoying the look of surprise on his face as she raked her claws through his throat. Serena arrived next, swinging her sword low in a diagonal cut that sliced straight through the metal armor that her foe was wearing. Sayan came last, letting lightning dance between his fingers before calling it down from the sky to disintegrate two soldiers into ash.

"Okay, they seem to be fine. Mact. Get over there and join that raven."

"Yes, sir!" The wyvern rider mounted his animal and launched up into the sky. He surveyed the scene below him and directed his wyvern out of the range of arrow fire. "Tch…Those archers will make it hard for us, Shiven. But we can do it, right?"

Shiven roared in reply, which Mact took to be an affirmative. The young mercenary pulled a sharpened javelin from a rack that was attached to the wyvern's side. "Let's jazz this place up a bit!" He began raining javelins down at the soldiers, causing more havoc that damage.

"We can't handle a charge. Come up with me and we'll see about the commander." Boors motioned to Tawny and Tataka, who followed him around to the back of the enemy army, where they saw a man in full plate armor talking to a couple of advisors.

"That's the guy. Think you can take him out, Tawny?"

"Right away." Tawny grinned wickedly, drawing out one of her thin daggers from her belt. Feeling the wind on her cheek, she carefully aimed the weapon and threw it at the commander, hoping to strike him right where the neck was exposed. She was overjoyed as she saw her dagger plunge into the man's flesh. The commander teetered on his feet for a couple of moments before toppling to the ground. "Let's get out of here!"

_---_

With the death of their commander, the rest of the soldiers fled, leaving behind a tired, but victorious, bunch of mercenaries. Yaleus gratefully took Boors's hand as they met outside the mansion and he thanked every mercenary present. However, not everything was joyous.

Sylia had taken an arrow through one of her wings, snapping the bone and causing her to involuntarily shift back to her human form. She had crashed onto the hard stone and broken a couple more of her bones. She was sleeping, although her skin was very pale.

Valkin was in no better shape. The mage was able to walk around, but suffered extreme pain whenever he tried anything more strenuous than sitting and walking. The mage was currently watching over Sylia, a worried look on his face.

Raele was unconscious, having fainted after trying to maintain his illusion spell for too long. Aura had immediately rescued him from the scene of the battle and placed him in his bed.

But other than these things, everything was fine. What was better was that all of the mercenaries that had come to their aid had decided to join them, under the pretense of wanting to make sure Isaac treated his people fairly. But still, as Yaleus thought about what happened, he couldn't help thinking that it wasn't the end of their troubles.

_---_

"Isaac…Isaac…"

"Hmm? What?" Isaac murmured sleepily, blinking as the bright sunlight hit his eyes. He pushed off his light cotton blanket and rubbed at his eyes. "Who is it?"

"It's Eliza. I have something to show you."

"Can't this wait till later? When everyone else is up?"

"No! This is important!" The urgency in her tone alerted Isaac and he quickly banished the rest of his sleepiness. He stood up and looked at Eliza, who was wringing her hands worriedly.

"What is it?" Isaac asked in concern.

"I found this man lying in the forest. I tried to heal him, but before I could, he said, "Pravus." and died!" Eliza explained.

"Hmmm…" Isaac processed the information. "Okay, show me where you found this guy." He grabbed his spear and quickly donned his leather armor. Checking to make sure he didn't leave anything behind, he scrawled a note and left it next to the sleeping form of Sarai. "Let's go."

"This way!" Eliza said, pointing towards a dense section of woods. Isaac followed her, trying not to get his weapon caught in the dense leaves.

'_This would be a horrible place for me to get attacked…'_ Isaac thought to himself. That realization started a little train of thought in his mind. _'Shirley had told me that she was suspicious of Eliza. She said that Eliza was a servant of Pravus. I dismissed it as nothing more than theory…But now that I think about it…She might have a point.'_

"Isaac? What's wrong?" Eliza stopped.

"Oh, nothing." Isaac shook his head, dashing his suspicions. _'That's ridiculous. If she was a servant of Pravus, why didn't she act earlier? I know she wasn't at Sienne when the fire started. Arrin and Cyrus told me that she was at the camp the whole time.'_

"Okay, he's right through these trees."

"Right." Isaac pushed back a couple of thick branches and stepped into a wide, grassy clearing. There was nobody there. "Eliza?" He turned back but didn't see the silver-blond haired healer. His grip on his lance tightened and he looked back forward.

"I've been waiting for you, Isaac." A black-haired man with slick features stood in front of him, holding a long sword that pulsed with dark energy.

"I assume you're Pravus?" Isaac asked, placing his lance in a defensive position in front of him.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am."

"Good." Isaac said before charging at the man, rapidly twirling his spear in a circle to increase its momentum. He stabbed forward, only to see Pravus dodge his attack. He quickly brought his weapon back in line and attacked again, but his lance struck the blade of Pravus's sword and he was repelled backwards.

"And to think I was afraid of you." Pravus laughed as he reversed the roles, going on the offense and almost carelessly swinging his sword. The god yawned as he continued his attack, pushing Isaac back against the trees. Grinning, Pravus swung his sword at Isaac's head and the mercenary fell to the ground to avoid the decapitating strike.

Their battle raged for hours, with no one gaining the advantage. Isaac would attack, only to be repulsed. Then, Pravus would attack but he would withdraw and taunt Isaac into attacking again. Finally, Pravus ran a hand through his hair and laughed.

"It was fun playing with you, but there are many more important things that I have to do."

"What did you say?" Isaac shouted, bringing his spear up.

"It's time for you to disappear forever." Pravus seemingly vanished into the thin air, only to appear right in front of the mercenary. The god gripped Isaac's spear in his free hand and smirked at Isaac, uttering one word. "Shatter."

Isaac's spear, the weapon that had been handed down from his father, shattered into a thousand pieces in his hand. Isaac barely had time to react before Pravus's sword pierced his armor and slid straight through his heart, exiting through his back. Isaac choked, his eyes wide with pain as feeling faded from his body.

"So ends a hero." Pravus laughed and slid his sword out of Isaac's body, dumping the mercenary unceremoniously on top of the broken shards of his lance. He stared at the fallen body of his nemesis one last time, laughing. "Eliza! Come on out! Our work is finished!"

The healer stepped out of the trees, looking down at Isaac's body with a mixture of shock and horror on her face. She quickly suppressed the feelings and nodded. "He had no chance fighting against you, Master. He should have submitted."

"True…But now that he's dead. There is nothing to worry about." Pravus put an arm around Eliza, drawing her closer to him. "Now, my daughter, let's just enjoy this moment of our victory."

_---_

While Isaac was fighting, Sarai woke up and she blinked. Her fingers found the note that Isaac left for her and she gazed at it blearily. "Isaac?" She stood up and washed her face quickly with cold water to shock herself into awareness. Looking at the note again, a sharp lance of fear pierced her heart and she was suddenly overcome with worry. Grabbing her crossbow, she headed in the direction of the forest. "Isaac! Where are you?"

* * *

Chris: Actually…Now I feel bad for leaving it at this spot, so maybe Restoration won't go on break after all. Anyway…Leave a review and tell me what you think! You'll just have to wait to see what happens next! Hmm…Yeah, I won't leave it at this spot. It seems too mean. 


	16. Mission 16: Despair

Chris: Since I thought it would be mean to leave the story at Isaac's death, I'm going to update this until it's at a more stable spot. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

**Mission 16: Despair**

"_Where am I?"_

"_Ah, so you've awoken."_

"_It appears I have. Now where am I?"_

"_Calm down. You are in the realm of the blessed. The realm of Ashera."_

_---_

"Isaac! Isaac, answer me!" Sarai called out frantically as she ran through the forest, stumbling over roots and batting away overhanging branches. She stopped for a while, leaning against one of the trees and breathing heavily. Sweat covered her forehead and she wiped it away tiredly, frightened for some reason she couldn't fathom. Somehow, she _knew_ that something bad was happening to Isaac. "Isaac! Where are you?"

There was no answer and Sarai took in a deep breath before continuing to run. There were sounds of laughter ahead of her and for a moment, her heart lightened with relief. However, that relief quickly faded away when she realized that none of the voices were Isaac's. Following the sound, she tripped over a fallen log and tumbled into a wide clearing.

"Ah, and who is this little vixen?"

"She is Sarai. Isaac's right-hand girl. I wonder why she is here when she should be sleeping."

"Eliza?" Sarai gasped as she straightened. "What have you done with Isaac? Where is he?"

Eliza pointed silently to a small bundle to the side and Sarai shifted her gaze. Her crossbow dropped from her limp hands and she let out a devastated scream, running over to Isaac's body. "Isaac! Isaac!" She dropped to her knees next to him and shook Isaac repeatedly. "Please, answer me! Isaac!"

"Such an interesting girl. Why do you suppose she mourns over him? Perhaps she is in love? I know that _you_ were in love with Isaac."

"Yes…I was…" Eliza looked away.

Sarai whirled to face the blond haired healer and lunged at her, trying to wring her neck. "You! You _loved_ him, did you? You _loved _him! You did this to Isaac, yet you still say you love him! You bitch! I will kill you with my bare hands!" She reached for Eliza's neck but her companion thrust her away. Sarai reached down for her crossbow and launched a quick shot at him, crying out incomprehensibly as tears ran down her face.

"Fierce little girl, isn't she?" The man chuckled as he waved a hand and the arrow disintegrated in mid-air. Sarai screamed again and shot out another arrow, which he promptly destroyed. "When do you think she will tire out?"

"Shut up! Shut up! **Shut up!**" Sarai yelled over and over as she continued firing at the black haired man. After a while, however, she ran out of arrow and she chucked her crossbow at his face. He laughed and quickly moved away.

"Finally finished with your tantrum?" He laughed again. "Eliza, tell me. Are all lovesick women this entertaining?"

"I don't know…" Eliza turned away.

"W-Who are you?" Sarai stuttered, overcome with adrenaline withdrawal. "I-Isaac was the best…How could you k-kill him?"

"Pravus is a god. Nobody can beat a god." Eliza stated, still not looking at Sarai. "He was doomed the moment he thought he could fight against my master."

"Master? You mean…You were serving under him from the moment we met you?" Sarai whispered in disbelief. "I thought…we were friends."

"We were." Eliza responded. "But I must obey the will of my creator, my Master. I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry won't bring Isaac back! Nothing will bring him back! **Nothing!**" Sarai screamed again. "He…was so kind…Why did he have to go? Why did he have to go with you?" She charged at Eliza again, but Pravus stopped her and gripped her by the neck.

"I've had enough fun playing with you and Isaac. There are many things I need to do today and oh so little time to complete them all." Pravus laughed and lifted Sarai in the air, smiling as he felt her squirming against his grip. "Perhaps I should take her with me. Having a feisty slave like you might be enjoyable."

Sarai tried to gasp out an answer, but was unable to due to Pravus's grip. The god sighed and dropped her to the floor, where she tumbled like a sack of beans. He gripped her by the chin and looked at her appreciatively. "I've always liked the color blue. What do you say?"

"Go…die, bastard." Sarai rasped angrily. She punched feebly at his arms and stumbled out of his grip before falling to the ground. "I hate you…"

"Not the first time that has been said to me." Pravus shrugged before turning to Eliza. "Come along, Eliza. There are many more things to be accomplished." He and Eliza left, leaving Sarai behind them.

"Isaac…" She crawled over to his body, unable to continue crying. "Isaac…I'm so sorry…" Sarai clasped his body, shaking slowly. "Why did I wait? Why couldn't I have told you…that I loved you?"

_---_

"Where the hell are Isaac and Sarai?" Rima griped as she looked around the temporary camp that had been set up outside the borders of Sienne. When she had woke up, the first thing she noticed was that there were a lot more people around than there really should have been. The second thing was that Isaac and Sarai were nowhere to be found, leaving the tactician as temporary commander.

She was immediately overwhelmed by the amount of duties that had been heaped on her. She was first informed by Shirley that Eliza had disappeared as well. Next, Cyrus and Arrin were escorted by a couple of guards to her and she was informed that the two almost were arrested for calling the ministers of Begnion a bunch of 'overfed, idiotic, ugly-ass pigs that should be culled immediately and tossed out for the crows'. It was only because the Apostle had burst out laughing that the two of them hadn't been executed. As it was, they were prohibited from setting foot in Begnion again. Third, the little girl that Isaac had brought back was now trying to get someone to play with her, probably since she was trying to cope with the fact that her father was dead. Surprisingly enough, it was Aran to took care of the little girl and kept her occupied for the greater part of the morning.

Now it was late in the afternoon and no one had seen any sight of Isaac, Sarai, or Eliza. A couple of refugees from Sienne had settled in their camp and the mercenaries were trying to care for them, although it was hard to get used to the harsh way that the Begnion citizens took to mercenaries. The only good thing that had happened so far was that the little girl had fallen asleep in Aran's arms, nestled within his black-feathered wings.

"Hey, look! It's Sarai!" Cyrus shouted, pointing to a small, blue haired figure in the distance. He rushed over to greet her, but tripped over his two feet and faceplanted onto the ground. Rima scoffed and was about to greet Sarai herself, but something in her stance stopped her from rushing forward.

"H-Hi guys…" Sarai stumbled forward, her face covered with dirt and her fingers raw and bloody. She smiled weakly at all of them before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.

"S-Sarai!" Rima shouted, caught off-guard. She ran to her fallen friend, gasping when she saw the lousy condition she was in. "Arrin! Cyrus! Kyril! Help me out here! Shirley, get out your healing equipment! Caroline, look to see if you can spot Isaac or Eliza out there!"

The four of them managed to bring Sarai over to a tent and looked at her wounds. Cyrus scratched his head unhappily. "It looks like she was mauled by a bear. What happened to her?"

"It doesn't look like she was attacked. Only her hands are bloody, although there's dirt all over her clothes." Arrin noted. "Besides, I don't think she would be this late just because she was attacked. I think Isaac was with her."

"Then what happened?" Rima asked.

"We'll have to wait until she's awake." Kyril said, his hands tucked in the folds of his robes. "It's no use asking questions now. Come on Cyrus and Arrin. We'd better make sure the refugees don't get out of hand." The monk grimaced and motioned to the other two mercenaries before leaving.

Rima was left alone, gazing sorrowfully at Sarai's body. The thief's mind was whirling with questions, none of them answerable at the moment. She flicked off a clod of mud that was caked to Sarai's fingers and frowned. "What happened?"

"Isaac…" Sarai whispered in her unconscious state. "Why…?"

Shirley bustled into the tent, her staff clutched in her hands. "What happened to her?"

"Does it look like I know? All I know is that her fingers are bloody." Rima retorted.

"You called me here for that?" Shirley bent low next to Sarai's motionless body. "Let me see…" She placed the tip of her staff on Sarai's fingers and intoned a prayer to Ashera. A soft, blue glow came out of the staff and enveloped Sarai's fingers. "Well, that should be it. Tell me when she wakes up. I need to know what happened to her. There's a strange aura surrounding her, although it doesn't seem like anything evil."

"Will do." Rima responded.

"Thanks. Sigh…Any sign of Isaac?" Shirley asked.

"Nope."

"…What's going on?" Shirley mused before leaving.

"That's what I would like to know." Rima stood up and walked off, shaking her head in confusion.

_---_

"Urgh…Ow…" Sylia's eyes opened as she hissed as a wave of pain flooded her body.

"You're awake."

"Valkin?" Sylia craned her head to the side to look at the mage. The mage smiled at her, although his eyes were creased with pain. "You should be sleeping."

"Couldn't." Valkin replied, walking up to the bed and kneeling down next to it. He ran a hand through Sylia's teal-blue hair and smiled reassuringly at her. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Tch…Once again, you're taking care of me." Sylia replied, grumbling. She lightened it with a small smile as she turned on her side. "My arm works. I thought I broke it."

"Oh…One of the clerics in Melior helped heal it. He owed me a favor for something I did for him during the war." Valkin said airily. "It was no problem. Minor wounds. Anyway, you're all set now."

"And you didn't heal yourself?" Sylia asked concernedly, looking down at where Valkin was pressing a hand to his side.

"O-Of course I did." Valkin lied. The illusion was shattered when Sylia yanked him upwards, causing him to yell with pain. He crumpled back to his knees, cursing angrily. "Dammit, Sylia."

"Liar." She sat down on the side of the bed, her wings beating behind her. Her gaze was angry with a hint of concern and she felt like punching him in the stomach because of his foolishness. "I bet you're lying about the cleric story too. You probably paid that guy a ton of money to mend my wounds this quickly. That's why you have no money to pay for your own healing."

"Not true." Valkin retorted. "He just had some other business to do."

"Idiot." Sylia sighed angrily and stepped out of bed. That was when she realized that she was dressed only in her underwear. "Hey!"

"I'm sorry! I promise I didn't look!" Valkin replied, looking away. "I just needed to remove some of your clothes in order to let my friend examine all your wounds. Don't worry. Your clothes are right there." He pointed to a table in the room.

"I understand." Sylia said, blushing slightly. "Very well." She walked over and grabbed her clothes and quickly donned them, letting her wings unfurl out of the little gaps in her tunic. "Now get into bed."

"What? I'm fine!" Valkin protested, standing. "Don't worry about me!"

"Don't lie to me." Sylia carried the mage to the bed and restrained him from rising. "Just rest, okay? You've watched over me so many times. It's my turn to look after you."

"Fine…" Valkin sighed. "Fine." He closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

Sylia looked softly at his sleeping face and gently took his hand. Kissing it lightly, she put it back over the sheets and continued to watch him. "Thank you for always looking after me, Valkin. I'll never forget it."

_---_

"Thanas Everion, reporting back." Thanas saluted in front of Yaleus, a determined look on his face.

"At ease." Yaleus waved away the salute. "So, how'd it go?"

"It was a failure." He sat down on one of the chairs in the war room and sighed. "A miserable failure. The only thing I accomplished was to get pretty much everyone wounded and lose Laisa to a demon."

"What, what?" Yaleus leaned forward, confused. "A demon?"

"That's what he said he was. The swordsman guy was actually a demon and he trashed us. There was nothing we could do to hurt him and he completely destroyed us. And he took Laisa with him…He did some sort of magic that transformed her into some sort of puppet." Thanas slammed a fist into the table. "I was useless! I told you I was too young for this type of thing!"

"No…You did just fine. Against a tougher, stronger enemy where you were ill-prepared for what might have happened, you brought back almost everyone alive and there were no casualties. While it is classified as a failure, you definitely have learned something about being a mercenary. I suppose you want to find a way to get Laisa back, correct?"

"Yes, I do." Thanas nodded vigorously. "Let me go, right now!"

"No. I'm sorry, but as you have demonstrated earlier, none of us are up to the pressure of killing this guy. Also, we're in a bit of trouble ourselves. We were just attacked by an unknown force. Almost half of our friends are either incapacitated or unable to leave." Yaleus shook his head. "I'm sorry to say that any rescue mission is completely out of the question. However, after this whole mess is over and things calm down, I will go with you personally to help rescue your girlfriend."

"Thanks Yaleus." Thanas smiled. "I understand. If you'll excuse me…There's some training I need to do."

"Good. If you become strong enough, maybe I'll let you go sooner than you expect." Yaleus straightened and smirked at Thanas. "When you can beat me, I'll consider you strong enough to handle almost anything."

"Thanks a lot, Yaleus. I'll try my best." Thanas nodded. He left the room, leaving Yaleus all alone. The green haired mercenary slammed his fist into the table, angry.

"Damn it all…Another setback. Isaac, I can only hope you get back soon. If we're attacked again, I doubt we can hold them back." He shook his head before leaving the war room, intent on talking to the new recruits to their band. "Whatever. I just have to hope everything gets better."

_---_

Back near the outskirts of Sienne, Sarai had finally woken up and was immediately barraged by an onslaught of questions. She remained silent through all of them, just saying that she would tell them all whenever she felt like it. There seemed to be a change that had come over her. She seemed a lot more silent and brooding, not bothering to participate in any of the pranks or jokes that the other mercenaries started. Her eyes were dull and she would just lie down on the cot, staring up at the top of her tent.

"Sarai?" Rima silently entered the tent, lifting open the flap.

"…" Sarai turned to face her, not saying anything. When she saw it was just Rima, she turned away, pulling the covers over her head.

"Sarai, listen to me. Where's Isaac?" Rima asked sternly, trying to get her friend to answer her. However, her efforts were in vain as Sarai continued to lie there, unmoving. "Please, Sarai. Stop being like this. We need to know. We care about Isaac as much as you do."

"No, you _don't._" Sarai turned over and hissed at Rima, her eyes flashing with anger and rage. The thief recoiled in surprise and Sarai returned to her brooding, her back facing her. Rima gave a sigh and was about to leave when she stopped.

"Don't act like a child, Sarai. I don't know what happened, but I do know that it will do us and probably you a lot of good to tell us what happened to Isaac. Right now."

Sarai sighed and turned on her cot, facing Rima. "I give up. Bring everyone over here. I'll tell you what happened. Now leave me alone."

"Okay Sarai." Rima left to gather the rest of the mercenaries. "Don't worry. I'm sure there's something we can do."

"No…" Sarai's muffled voice came back. "There's nothing you can do now…"

_---_

"_What am I doing here?"_

"_Our mistress wants to speak to you."_

"_Why? Can't I be allowed to rest in peace?"_

"_No. There is still much to do. But after the job is done, you will be given a chance to rest."_

"_Ah…Then take me to your mistress. I'm very tired…and I want to rest."_

* * *

Chris: Not much to say, except review please! If you have questions or suggestions, I'm still here to answer them. 


	17. Mission 17: Departure

Chris: Well, here's another chapter. Enjoy! -looks at list- Hmm…Say that there's another chapter…Check. Tell them to enjoy it…Check. Okay, that's about it.

* * *

**Mission 17: Departure**

"_What do you want me for?"_

"_I'm sorry to disturb your rest, but there are some things left in your world that remain unfinished. You will have to return home."_

"_What? Isn't this my home now? I'm dead, you know."_

"_No…Your life's thread is still intact…The fates haven't cut it yet. You have much to do and you are destined to be a king."_

"_King? Me? Yeah right. I never wanted to be a king."_

"_We must all accept things that we don't want. But…there is someone who you need to return to."_

_  
---_

"Isaac is dead."

"**WHAT?**"

Sarai winced at the noise and covered her ears. "I'm not lying. When I woke up, I saw that Isaac was gone. He left a note saying that he was going with Eliza to help out a refugee that had gotten injured by the evil god, Pravus. I felt frightened, so I decided to go help him out. But when I got there…" Sarai's voice broke and she covered her face with her hands. "He was lying on the ground, dead! Pravus had killed him! And that's not all. Eliza is actually Pravus's servant and she's been deceiving us all this time."

"No way…" Rima's face paled and she shook her head in disbelief. "You're joking…Right? Please tell me you're joking."

"I'm not joking!" Sarai yelled in anguish. "He's dead and he's never coming back! I…I buried him when Pravus and Eliza left. I put the remains of his spear next to his body. I hope he liked it…"

"It can't be…" Rima dropped to the ground, her legs slipping out from under her. "No…He can't be dead. Isaac…"

Cyrus opened his mouth to try to lighten the mood, but he quickly shut it when he realized he had nothing to say. Frowning sadly, he looked away and stepped out of the tent, staring up at the sky. Arrin quickly joined his friend, as he had nothing to say.

"I didn't know him well…But I know that Isaac was a valiant warrior." Aran stated. "He was a great man…one that could gain the trust of both beorcs and laguz."

Shirley kept silent, her hands clasped together. She looked up towards the sky and moved her mouth silently. The priestess seemingly heard an answer and she shook her head in despair and sank to the ground. "Pravus…Who can stop him now?"

Kyril shook his head. "Ashera…Is all this decided by your will? If so, what is the benefit of taking one like Isaac? It makes no sense. Why should the honorable die while the corrupt continue to thrive?"

"…" Caroline looked down. "I would have liked to know you better, Isaac."

Sarai got off the bed and stood, surprising everyone. "Please…everyone leave. I need some time alone…to think."

Rima nodded and motioned everyone outside of the tent. "Come on…Let's go. We'd better get ready to break the news to everyone else back in Melior." The tactician sighed and closed the tent flap behind her as she left. "Maybe we should just disband. Isaac brought us all together…If he's gone, then who will keep us together?"

The next day, all the mercenaries were ready to leave. Morale was low among the mercenaries and even Cyrus seemed unable to make a single joke. Rima faced her friends, trying to put a smile on her face and failing. She gave up her charade and put her hands in her pockets. "Okay, we might as well go home. There's nothing left for us back here."

"Where's Sarai?" Shirley asked. "I'm worried about her. I didn't see her leave her tent all day yesterday."

"Sarai is gone. She left me a note." Rima held out a scrap of paper. "She said there were too many memories and all she wants to do now is forget. Please respect her wishes and don't try to find her. She's been through a lot."

"What about the girl?" Aran said, pointing to the young girl that Isaac had rescued from Sienne.

Rima walked up to the girl and crouched, looking at her face to face. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to stay with you." The girl grasped Aran's leg tightly.

"What about your parents?"

"I…I have no parents…" She tried to glare at Rima and failed. Tears began forming in her eyes and she tugged at Aran's leg. The raven gently lifted her up and lifted her on top of his back, stroking her blond hair softly.

"Okay, then you can think of us as your parents." Rima smiled. "Can you tell us your name?"

"Janine. My name is Janine." The girl whispered from Aran's back. "Where's the man who rescued me? I never thanked him."

Rima's smile faltered and it took a while for the smile to reappear. "He's gone away, Janine. He…had to leave. But I'm certain that he wants you to grow up to be a nice, beautiful girl."

_---_

Sarai watched her friends leave before hefting her small sack of belongings over her shoulder. The blue haired girl sighed and rubbed at her eyes sadly. "I'll miss you all…" She walked in the opposite direction, towards Sienne. She didn't want to have to do anything more with mercenaries or with fighting. After Isaac's death, she had just grown tired, like all of the life force had been drained out of her. Perhaps she could pick up a job in Sienne. After all, what else was there to do?

_---_

"Shannon, are you sure this is such a good idea?" A young girl with light-green hair and blond streaks looked up at her older sister. Shannon turned around to face her fourteen year-old sister and smiled cockily.

"Of course it's a good idea! You've got to trust your sister more!" Shannon wrapped an arm around Melissa, shaking her slightly. "We _have_ to get to this Fraction of Hope mercenary band! One of our own countrymen started it! A guy by the name of Isaac! Don't you want to meet him?"

"W-Well, sure. But sister…traveling by ourselves is dangerous, isn't it?" Melissa whispered.

"Hey, with me at your side, you have nothing to worry about. I'll take care of you, Mel." Shannon ruffled her sister's hair briefly before looking up at the sky. "Ah…Still early in the afternoon. You up for some more traveling or do you want to rest?"

"If you want to, we can continue on." Melissa said bravely.

"Hey, we don't have to continue just because _I_ want to." Shannon said, looking concernedly at her younger sister. "Now, tell me, do _you_ want to keep heading towards Melior?"

Melissa nodded. "Yes, yes I do."

"Good!" Shannon smiled widely and hugged her sister briefly. "Now, let's see what we can do!"

_---_

"So, this is Isaac's band. We heard he was doing well as a mercenary. What's he doing now, Yaleus?" Boors strolled around the mansion with Yaleus in tow, examining the building that served as the mercenary's HQ. The knight knocked against the walls, nodding appreciatively. "It was luck that gave you this place."

"Maybe so." Yaleus shrugged. "Isaac's now in Sienne, researching something in the library over there. So, Boors, who do you think those soldiers were?"

"I have no idea. Their uniforms made them appear to be part of the Crimean army, but their tactics are nothing like what the Crimean's practice. I would say the soldiers were from Daein, but Daein hasn't had a solid military ever since the war." Boors shrugged. "Either way, they were dangerous and we'd better keep our eyes open."

"Yeah…" Yaleus nodded his head thoughtfully. "How are the others doing?"

"Mact's being his regular self, doing somersaults in the air with Shiven. That idiot seems to be more of a showman than a real warrior. Tawny challenged Anair to a competition and Tataka is training Thanas right now. Sayan and Serena said they wanted to look around a bit before returning."

"Sayan and Serena…I've never heard of them before." Yaleus scratched at the stubble on his chin. "I thought I knew almost everyone mercenary. Are those two new at the mercenary gig or something?"

"Maybe, but they act as if they've been mercenaries their entire lives." Boors replied. "The both of them came in the guild one day and asked for work. Said they were from a different continent and wanted to see as much of the world as they could. I didn't believe them, but maybe there's some truth to their story."

"Where did they say they were from?"

"A place called Elibe. They traveled by ship to Toha and hitched a ride all the way here. They were soldiers in some minor war at Elibe and that's where they say they got fighting experience." Boors said. "Eh, as long as they don't do anything to disgrace the name of a mercenary, they can stay as long as they want."

"Thanks!" Sayan popped out from one of the rooms and grinned at the two. "Of course, being a mercenary isn't that hot. Seriously, yesterday was freaky."

"Sayan, stop goofing around." Serena came out of the room as well and grabbed the shorter teenager by the ear. "You're bothering the people who were kind enough to give us work."

"Fine, fine." Sayan grumbled under his breath. "Serena, you're such a spoilsport. Back in Toha, you wouldn't let me skip out of the check. And in Worde, you wouldn't let me burn off the mustache of that annoying administrator who called us beggars. He totally would have deserved it too."

"Doesn't he remind you of someone?" Boors asked.

"Yeah. Wesley. I wonder where that little scamp is now." Yaleus grimaced.

"Cheering for Anair in the competition." Valkin walked up to the mercenaries, a hand clutched to his side. "You notice that he doesn't seem like such a pervert whenever she's around?"

"It's not surprising." Yaleus grinned. "I wouldn't be surprised if Wesley managed to take Anair to bed someday." An arrow flew out of nowhere and flew past Yaleus's ear, nicking the skin and causing a few droplets of blood to appear. He jumped in the air, half-frightened out of his wits.

"Not funny." Anair withdrew her bow and glared at Yaleus. "I hold no romantic interests in Wesley anyway. Why should I? He doesn't mean anything that he says anyway. Hmph. I don't see you getting hooked up with a lady." Her bright emerald eyes glared at Yaleus and the swordsman had to look away.

"Yeah, well…I've been busy." Yaleus chuckled half-heartedly.

"Sure." Anair pushed back one of her loose pigtails and frowned. "Wesley is nice…But it wouldn't work. He lies too much for me to trust him."

"Now you sound like Laisa." Yaleus shook his head. "Give him a chance. He's a good kid. Besides, if he didn't goof around and lie so much, he wouldn't be as fun as he is now."

"True…" A rare smile crossed Anair's face. "But enough of this. I don't want to talk about Wesley anymore."

"Hey Anair! Where are you? Come on, I want to talk to you!" Wesley's voice echoed through the halls of the mansion and Anair flushed a bit.

"If you'll excuse me…" Anair pushed past the rest of the mercenaries and disappeared from sight the moment than Wesley entered the hall. The thief looked around confusedly and walked up to the others.

"Hey, should you be shouting?" Yaleus asked.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Wesley waved away Yaleus's concerns with a smile. The thief walked forward with a slight limp and his eyes showed that he was in pain from his injuries in fighting the demon from earlier. "Besides, if Anair can still win a competition after having some of her ribs cracked, I can stand a couple of injuries." He noticed everyone else smiling at him and he returned the smile. "What?"

"Nothing at all." Sayan grinned and punched Serena in the side. "Remember when we were like that?"

"We were never like that." Serena returned, dragging Sayan out of the hallway and back into the room.

"Anyway, I'll see you all later, okay?" Wesley walked past the others and continued on his way, whistling a happy tune. The moment he was out of the eyesight of the others, though, he winced and placed a hand on his leg. _'Shit, shit, shit…I'll kill that demon for hurting all of us. I'll show him.'_

The thief grimaced angrily to himself as he remembered his ignominious defeat at the hands of the demon. _'I couldn't do anything. Just like at that crummy orphanage.' _He continued walking until he came up to Anair's room. He was about to walk past it when he heard the sounds of someone cursing inside. His curiosity getting the better of him, he opened the door and entered.

"What the hell are you doing in here, Wesley?" Anair shouted angrily. "Don't you know how to knock?"

Wesley gasped in surprise and leapt out of the room, closing the door behind him. No matter how many perverted jokes he made, that was the first time he had ever seen a girl in her underwear. He grinned slightly as he remembered the sight and was about to go back inside when the door opened. Anair yanked him inside the room and slammed the door behind her.

"Okay, Wesley. What is it?" Anair said angrily.

"Oh, you changed back into clothes." Wesley said, nonplussed.

"Of course I did." Anair retorted, shaking angrily as she tied ribbons to her hair. "This is the most idiotic thing you could have done, Wesley. Explain yourself before I throw you out of the mansion."

"Well, I was just walking around when I heard you cursing. I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help." Wesley began, but Anair cut him off.

"Are you lying? Are you sure you didn't just want to get into my bed?" Anair said suspiciously.

Wesley grinned. "How did you guess?"

"Get out!" Anair pointed towards the door.

"I was kidding! Kidding!" Wesley laughed. "No, seriously, I was worried about you. I mean, I wasn't the only person to get thrashed around by that swordsman."

"I'm fine." Anair replied. "Thanks. Now, if that's all?"

"Oh…Yeah, I guess." Wesley responded, despondent. "Um, well, it was nice to see you and I hope you get better." He stood up and was about to leave when Anair restrained him.

"Wesley, I have to ask you something." Anair whispered.

"Yeah?" The thief faced her, a small smile on his lips. "What is it? Did you change your mind? I certainly could keep you company through the night."

"Shut up and listen." Anair snapped. "Wesley, why do you keep lying?"

"Did you talk to Zane or something? He asked me the exact same thing. Besides, who says I'm lying?" Wesley shrugged, smiling.

"You did." Anair pointed out. "That's what's wrong with you, Wesley. You always lie without worrying about the consequences."

"So what? Worrying is just going to put wrinkles in that pretty face of yours." Wesley said, leaning against one of the walls. "Is that it? I have some things to do…"

"Another lie." Anair said. "You don't have anything to do or else you wouldn't have looked for me. I've been thinking lately about how you always say that you love me."

"And? I _do_ love you." Wesley said.

"How can I be certain that you're saying the truth? You're a thief. You lie for a living. And you expect me to believe you when you toss those words so carelessly?" Anair whispered. "I'm tired of trying to decipher the true meanings of your words, Wesley."

"What do you mean?" Wesley asked, confused and a little afraid. "I'm not lying."

"Is that the truth or are you just telling yourself that?"

"…" Wesley looked shocked and was unable to think of an answer. Anair nodded knowingly and opened the door. She pointed outside.

"Thanks for stopping by, Wesley. Now, if you'll please leave." Anair frowned and pushed Wesley outside of her room. "Don't say that you love me unless you know that you mean it. Goodbye Wesley."

"…" Wesley stood outside of her room, his mind whirling. He stumbled back to his room, extremely confused. _'Is she right about me? That can't be right…I do love Anair. Don't I?'_

_  
---_

"_It'd really help if you could actually tell me what you wanted me to do."_

"_You know the god, Pravus, correct?"_

"_Yes…He was the one that killed me, remember?"_

"_Yes. You need to stop him."_

"_Really? I'm not so certain about that. There certainly are a lot more people who are up to the task. Why does it have to be me?"_

"_Because you are the most knowledgeable about Pravus. You know his story, you know how he works, and best of all, you have friends that will help you defeat him."_

"_If you say so…Then I guess I have no choice, do I? But after I'm done, will I have to return here?"_

"_If you wish. You may also return back to your world to live out the rest of your years."_

"…_I understand. Very well. Is there anything you can give me to help defeat Pravus?"_

"_Yes…I do. And I'm sure it will be very useful for the fights ahead."_

* * *

Chris: Well, there it is! It's more of a "OMG, I can't think of anything to really advance the story, so I'll just put in some random stuff!" chapter. Sorry if that's disappointing, but I'm just saying the truth. I had absolutely no idea what to put in this chapter except for weird italic voices and some Wesley/Anair development. Anyway, review please if you wanna! 


	18. Mission 18: Reclamation

Chris: Well, I was just sitting down, trying to think of something to write a new chapter for and then…BOOM, it's like, "Holy crap! I haven't updated Restoration in a while!" So yeah, here's an update for you all and I don't doubt that there's going to be a lot more coming your way. I wanna finish this story with a bang, so expect a steady flow of updates, all of them hopefully with good quality.

And to make it up to those who've been waiting for…over two months, this chapter is longer than normal. And it has some fluff too. (Very small amounts of it.) Yeah. Some apology, huh? Aaaanyway…

I'd just like to give thanks to all who've been loyally reading this story from pretty much the beginning! So here's a big thank you to JSB, Douceur, Blazing Fool, Asterick, somepersonxP, and Black Nights! I hope you've enjoyed how I've portrayed your OCs and I hope they'll continue to grow! I dunno if you guys are still going to be reading it, but you've been sticking with this story for a long time, so, thanks to you all!

* * *

**Mission 18: Reclamation**

"_This…This is my father's spear…"_

"_No. It may look like it, but appearances may be deceiving. Let me reveal its true form to you. This spear, Veneratio, was made in the days where the heroes fought against the demon, Diablo. Blessed with my power, it can slay all but the most evil of beasts. It is now yours, Isaac. Put it to good use."_

"_So, this will kill Pravus? If so, I have no problem in accepting such a gift."_

"_It will not kill him, Isaac. Pravus is a god, my opposite in fact. If there is even a power strong enough to kill him, then that power will kill me as well. So no, it will not kill him. However, Veneratio has the ability to thrust Pravus away from this realm, where he cannot meddle in the affairs of humans anymore."_

"_I understand. Where will I…come back? You must understand if I'm a little wary of this. I've never died before."_

"_I understand. Where would you like to come back? I could easily place you near your headquarters. Or perhaps in Sienne? Just imagine where you want to go and I shall transport you."_

"_Give me a second…I got it."_

"_When you come back, time will have passed. People will be surprised when you come back. Don't get too reckless."_

"_I won't, Goddess."_

"_One more thing before you go." _

"_Yes?"_

"_You might want to take a shower."_

"_Ha ha, I will."_

_  
---_

"Well, we're back home, I guess…" Rima muttered as she stared up at the large mansion that served as their headquarters. It had taken them three weeks to journey back to Melior and signs of their long journey were appearing more often these days. Cyrus and Arrin, while still managing to crack the occasional prank and joke, seemed to have an aura of sadness that weighed down the light-heartedness of their gestures. Tension among the group had risen as well and fights between the mercenaries were growing ever more common. Some of them had even threatened to leave the band, but they never carried out their threats. It was just that the shock of Isaac's death had stripped away at their being, leaving them with nothing but grief and disappointment.

Taking in a deep breath and slowly releasing it, Rima knocked on the front doors of the mansion. There was no answer. The thief took a worried glance behind her, afraid that something might have happened to the rest of their friends while they were gone. But after a couple of more tense moments, the doors creaked open to reveal the quizzical gaze of a young man with messy, gray-brown hair that fluffed in every direction.

"Hmmm? If this is about a job, I'm sorry but we aren't accepting any more offers until the rest of our members are back." He was about to close the door when Yaleus's strong voice echoed from behind him.

"Hey, what's the commotion?" Yaleus briefly looked outside the door and paused. He shook his head, unable to believe his eyes. "Rima, you guys are back?"

"Of course we are! What? You didn't think we would take the whole year, now did you? Now tell this guy to open the door so we can get in." Rima put her hands on her hips, smiling teasingly at the swordsman.

"Hey Valkin, let them in. They're our friends and coincidentally, the members that we're waiting for." Yaleus nudged the mage in the side, looking over at the other mercenaries.

"Oh, sorry about that." Valkin smiled apologetically and opened the doors.

When the rest of the mercenaries filed in, Yaleus gave Rima a little hug and shook her briefly. "Man, you guys missed a lot. Where's Isaac? I've got a lot to tell him."

Rima paled and looked away, not answering. Yaleus frowned, looking over at the other mercenaries, who tried to avoid his gaze. He scratched his green-haired head, trying to figure out what was going on. Yaleus looked at Rima again, his eyes slowly narrowing into a glare.

"Come on, tell me what happened. I don't see Sarai or Eliza here either. I've missed something and I really don't like it." Yaleus said sternly. "Spit it out, Rima. What happened."

Rima looked up at Yaleus, meeting him eye to eye. The swordsman was startled at the sight of the tears that coated the tactician's face. He felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he looked at everyone else.

"Yaleus…Isaac is dead."

_---_

"Sairina! Another one for you over here!"

"Coming, sir." Sarai sighed and brushed back a dirty blue lock of her hair, wondering why she was working as a waitress in a resturant in Sienne. She was actually lucky to get a job, since the recent fire had decimated one of the main working districts of the city. Still, the former mercenary couldn't help but wonder why she was working here when her friends were probably fighting for their lives. _'…I'm so sorry, Isaac. I couldn't do anything.'_

Putting on her best fake smile, Sarai walked out into the busy restaurant, carefully maneuvering through the crowds in order to place a hot, steaming bowl of beef stew in front of a customer. Walking away, Sarai avoided the groping hands and came up to the counter, where her boss was waiting. Giving him a small, genuine smile, she breathed a sigh and pointed a thumb out to the crowd.

"They seem unusually…excited." Sarai said, motioning to the customers. "Anything happen that I should be aware of?"

"Not that I know of…" The thickset man shrugged, giving Sarai a sideways glance. "You know, Sairina, you really don't fit here, do you? You always seem guarded and a lot more alert than the normal girl that comes in here looking for a job."

"W-What do you mean?" Sarai stammered.

"Listen, I've seen enough mercenaries to know them just by looking at them. And you are a mercenary." He scratched at his beard and put his elbows against the long, wooden counter. He smirked at Sarai once before continuing. "First of all, you walk like a trained soldier, although from your stance I would assume that you use some missile weapon instead of a sword. You keep a free hand near your back as if you mean to reach for a bow of some sorts, unlike those that just keep their hands at their sides."

"Yeah, so?" Sarai challenged, her brown eyes regaining their former spark. She leaned forward, her teeth bared in a fierce grin. "That's supposed to tell you that I'm a mercenary?"

"Second of all, your response isn't what a normal girl would say." The restaurant owner returned her grin, his dark yellow eyes sparking dangerously. "If you're so concerned about keeping this charade, learn how to be more submissive."

Sarai backed down, straightening and softening her grin into a tired smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But why bring all of that out? You got something you want to tell me?"

"Oh…Nothing, except that you better get back to your former guild or something. Being a waitress doesn't suit you at all and it's ruining you. Why'd you leave anyway?"

"I…" Sarai lowered her eyes. "I don't know, really. Too many memories, I guess. Sometimes, I wish you could just wipe your mind clean of those…"

"Hmmm? Someone you loved died?" The owner looked at her quizzically.

Sarai nodded, unable to speak. She wiped a hand across her eyes and stared deep into the wood counter, unwilling to bring her eyes back up. A fresh, white towel was slowly pushed towards her and she took it gratefully, pressing it against her face. "I'm sorry…"

"I understand. Well, you have your reasons for not going back. But I have to wonder…Would he want you to continue suffering in sorrow like this?"

"…" Sarai sniffed, thinking of the last time she had spoken with him.

_---_

"_I'm glad you're here with me." He turned on his side to face her and he grinned. His gloved hand landed gently on Sarai's head and he ruffled her blue hair playfully. "There's no one else I'd like to have with me more. I'm counting on you." _

_---_

"…I need to go." Sarai removed the cloth from her face and looked up at her boss's face, her eyes regaining their former life. "I have to leave right now. My friends are counting on me."

"Thought you'd see it. Your gear is in the back. I made sure to keep it ready in case you ever needed to go somewhere." He poked a thumb towards a room behind him, with a big storage sign on it. He offered her a small smile and nudged her. "Come on, get your stuff. Good luck and may Ashera watch over you."

"T-Thanks!" Sarai nodded quickly, running a hand over her eyes again. She dashed into the storage room, hurriedly searching through the various packs in order to find her own. She rubbed at her eyes again, trying to still the tears that just kept falling. _'Okay, guys…I'm coming back.'_

_---_

"Listen up, everyone. I know that you're all still stunned by the news of Isaac's death, but we can't let that stop us. We are his pride and joy, the mercenary band under the name of Fraction of Hope. And as our title says, we must keep our hopes. We must continue our work, lest Isaac's dreams end in vain! Now, wipe those tears and let's get organized." Yaleus slammed his fist onto the long, round table that was in the center of the war room. He glared out at the assembled mercenaries, trying desperately to keep them focused. _'The time for mourning has already passed. Now is the time for respecting Isaac's goals.'_

"I'm sure you've already met all the new mercenaries that came around. For those of you who somehow missed our reception, you can meet these people for free. These two," Yaleus pointed to the gray-brown haired mage and his raven companion, "are Valkin and Sylia, a very good combo team that work well together."

"These two," He motioned to two sisters, who smiled tentatively at the mercenaries, "are Melissa and Shannon, a pegasus knight and a soldier respectively. They're both from Isaac's home country of Daein and they came here after hearing about his reputation."

"And finally, there are these slackers from the local Mercenary Guild who were too bored to do anything other than join our band for the pure action of it." Yaleus motioned to Mact, Tawny, Tataka, Sayan, and Serena. "Give them a warm welcome and occasionally remind then why we're better than they are. Hah, just kidding of course."

"Enough with the pleasantries. Can we get started on what we can do?" Aran waved his hand in the air carelessly, frowning. "You talk too much."

"Fine." Yaleus grimaced. "As you might have heard, that swordsman job from earlier turned out to be something completely different. Apparently, from what Thanas has said, this guy is a demon and he's kidnapped Laisa. We need a party, preferably one that has ten people, to rescue her and discover a way to kill the demon."

"That's my job…" Thanas whispered, half to himself. He looked at Yaleus with a smoldering fire in his eyes, his calloused hands clenched into fists. "I'll get her back, I swear it."

"No one doubts it, Thanas." Yaleus nodded briefly. "I ask for volunteers to help him."

"He still requires some training to be at full form. As such, I will accompany him so that I might instruct him more in the ways of fighting." Tataka said, placing a hand on Thanas's shoulder. "Perhaps my old-fashioned ways will be the way to defeat these demons."

"Hey, he's going to rescue his girl, right?" Sayan piped up, jumping on his feet. Serena frowned and punched the mage lightly on the side, glaring at him to keep quiet. The thunder mage ignored her, however, and continued jumping. "I think I wanna go along. It's always right to help someone else in need, right Serena?"

"Sigh…Then count me in too. Someone has to keep this idiot from blowing something up." Serena fixed Sayan with a quick glare before returning her gaze back to Yaleus.

"His motives for the fight…show that our friend Thanas is in the right." Raele strummed his lute methodically, carefully running his fingers over the strings. "I shall join him in his quest. May the result come out for the best."

"Great, that's five. Anyone else coming?" Yaleus looked out at the sea of faces and smiled when Mizu timidly raised her hand. "Six. Come on, people, we need at least four more."

"Then that's easy. I'll go." Valkin raised his hand, smiling openly. "I like the kid and I think he deserves to be back with Laisa. Admittedly, I don't know the girl, but she's very lucky to have someone like Thanas to care for her."

"Valkin, you're not fully healed from your wounds yet!" Sylia protested, pointing to the red scar that had formed on Valkin's right side. "This could be too much for you."

"Don't be silly." Valkin brushed off her concerns. He smiled at her. "Now, are you going to come along? You would be a big help."

"O-Of course!" Sylia let out a loud hmph. "I'm sticking with you forever, Valkin!"

"I might have just heard a wedding proposal…But we'll settle this when our resident priestess is ready to give you both Ashera's blessing." Yaleus cracked a smile when laughter broke out between the mercenaries. Sylia flushed heavily and buried her face into Valkin's robes. The mage just laughed and held Sylia close to him, murmuring comforting words into her ears. Yaleus held out his arms for quiet. "Okay, two more volunteers."

"I'm there. I didn't like how easily I was defeated last time." Zane shifted his arquebus on his shoulder, brushing against his spiky, blond hair. He gave an apologetic glance to Aura. "I'm sorry, kid, but I've gotta follow my gut on this one. You never know when you might need a marksman."

"T-That's okay…" Aura bowed, her flowing purple hair falling across her shoulders. "Um…If it would be possible, may I accompany them? I don't know much about fighting, but I will do my best to lend any assistance I can."

"Aura, don't. Yaleus, don't let her come. She's just a kid." Zane protested.

"I might be a kid, but let me make my own decisions for once." Aura straightened and fixed Zane with a nervous glare. "Please, Zane. When the soldiers attacked…I felt so helpless. I _want_ to do something. Anything."

"Grrr…Fine, Aura. But you stick close." Zane relented, letting out a large sigh. "I guess that's ten then, Yaleus."

"…I have to warn you all. This is a really dangerous mission. After all, this demon has already beaten us once. There's no guarantee that you'll survive. I doubt that he'll be as merciful as last time." Yaleus said sternly, looking out at the volunteers. "If you want to rethink your decision, I understand."

"Heh, if it's that dangerous, I think you might need another hand."

Everyone turned at the voice and Wesley stepped forward, a cocky grin on his face. Twirling his dagger between his fingers, he winked at Yaleus. "Hey, I went last time. I couldn't say no to a return trip. Besides, with me along, you shouldn't have any problem at all."

There was a loud snort in the opposite direction of the room and heads turned once again to see Anair leaning against a wall, her arms folded across her chest. She barked out a short laugh at Wesley before stepping towards Wesley, a decidedly murderous gleam in her eyes. "If you're going, Wesley, I think I better go too. You're going to ruin this whole mission, I know it."

"Hmmm?" Wesley smiled innocently, trying to act unfazed. "Well, I'm afraid you have other plans for today."

"What are you talking about, you little liar?" Anair's emerald-colored eyes narrowed, bending down to look eye-to-eye with the thief. "I don't have any other plans for today, other than correcting whatever mistakes you may make."

"As much as that means to me…" Wesley's grin faltered for a moment and his voice cracked. He cleared his throat and began speaking again. "As much as that means to me, you won't be able to do that. Your hometown was attacked today by an unknown batch of soldiers. Reports say that some of these soldiers even looked like demons…"

The silence in the room was so thick, you could hear the tick of the clock as seconds went by. Suddenly, Anair grabbed Wesley by the collar of his shirt, lifting him up in the air. Still holding onto him, she stalked towards her room, ignoring the shocked stares of the rest of the mercenaries. She flung open the door and threw Wesley inside onto her bed. She grabbed the doorknob and slammed the door shut.

"What the hell are you talking about, Wesley? Is this another of your lies? If so, you've gone way too far!" Anair shouted angrily, pointing a finger at his chest. "Trust me, Wesley, I've had enough of your lies."

Wesley just smiled and sat up on Anair's bed, running his hand across the soft fabric. "You know, I've never been on your bed before. It's really soft and gentle, you know that? I wish I could say the same to you."

"Answer the damn question! By Ashera, I will _kill_ you if you don't answer me!" She was literally shaking with anger, her finger making small circles in the air.

"Fine." Wesley shrugged, looking around boredly. "It's all true. Heard it through my contacts this morning. Of course, there's really nothing for you to worry about. I said the village was attacked. It wasn't destroyed. Hell, the attack wasn't even an attack. A couple of arrows fired to frighten the villagers, nothing more. Hmph, you know that if it were serious, I would go with you."

"How can I trust you, Wesley? No…No, there must have been something else. Why would you bring it to everyone's attention if it was just as simple as that?" Anair said, biting down on a loose strand of hair.

"Why? Simple, you won't be able to come. Everyone will be so worried about your home that they'll prohibit you from doing anything other than going back to your village. You heard Yaleus, this thing is going to be dangerous. I'd prefer it if you weren't around." Wesley said, hopping off of the bed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe it'll be time to go soon. I have a demon to kill."

"Hold it!" Anair grabbed on Wesley's arm before he could open the door. "Now tell me, why do you not want me to come? You're being stupid."

"Maybe I am stupid." Wesley countered, smiling. "After all, why bother to do this for a girl who doesn't like me anyway? I tell her over and over again that I love her, yet she doesn't believe me. How am I supposed to show that I'm telling the truth? Let me tell you something, Anair. I might be a thief….But that doesn't mean that I always lie."

In one quick move, he yanked his arm out of Anair's grasp and slammed his dagger into the wall, leaving the weapon stuck inside the woodwork. Bowing slightly to Anair, he excused himself from the room while she just stared dumbly at the dagger sticking to the wall. Tied around the hilt of the dagger was a long, dangling red string and attached to the string was a silver ring that shone in the afternoon light. Anair cautiously stepped towards it and took the silver band in her fingers. Turning it over, she let out a small gasp as a medium-sized emerald winked out at her.

"Wesley?" Anair looked up, only to find out that he had already left. She dashed into the hallway, looking frantically for the thief. Wesley was nowhere in sight though, so she walked back into her room, defeated. It was then that she noticed that a scrap of paper had been slipped into her pockets. Slowly taking it out, she unfolded the slip and began reading. Tears slowly formed in her eyes as she read.

_Dear Anair,_

_Heh, you know, when I first met you…I never would have suspected that I would be doing something like this. I mean, at the beginning, you seemed like a pessimistic, overanalyzing jackass. Now that I think about it, you probably still are. Guess that's what I like about you, huh? I have to say…I don't know if you'll believe a letter when you don't believe my words, but I love you, Anair. I think I always have. Maybe half of it is because you're really beautiful (you can't doubt that, can you?) and the other half…Hmm, I'm not really sure myself. Guess I'll have to find out, huh?_

_Anyway, I guess this is the end of my letter. Not bad for someone learned how to write only two years ago, huh? After the fight, will you tell me your answer? I'll see you then…_

_- Wesley Vivendi_

"Wesley…You stupid idiot." Tears dripped onto the letter and Anair hurriedly put it aside, placing it on a wooden end table. She didn't know what to do now. She had never believed that someone like Wesley would ever fall in love with her. In fact, she had been counting on her pessimistic personality to drive people like him away. What could she say to him? It wasn't that she wasn't attracted to the thief. On the contrary, his optimistic-like manner and incessant jokes were quite welcome, especially to her. The only thing that was weighing everything down was her inherent belief that nothing good could happen to her and the fact that Wesley often lied to cover up his feelings.

Still, he deserved an answer now, not later. She wouldn't be able to put her feelings in words…But she knew that Wesley would understand. After all…People in love could tell what the other person was feeling, right? She reached out to take the emerald ring when suddenly she felt a sharp prick of fear hit her in the gut. Wesley carried only one dagger with him and it was that same dagger that was sticking in the wall.

Frantically, she dashed back to the war room. By the time she got there, though, he had already left.

_---_

'_I forgot how long it would take me to get back to Melior…'_ Sarai thought to himself as she trudged along the dirt road to Melior, sweat rolling off of her chin and plopping onto the ground. Her old crossbow was securely tied across her back and a small quiver of arrows was tied around a belt at her waist. Her sea-blue hair, which had grown in the past weeks, was now tied together in one long ponytail with a big, light-green ribbon that the restaurant owner had given to her.

"Ah, young lady…If you could just give me some assistance…"

"Huh?" Sarai turned at the voice. There was something about it that seemed familiar, although she wondered where she had heard the sound before. It was soft, but still slightly harsh, as if the speaker hadn't had a drink of water in a long time. The speaker himself was covered in a sand-colored robe, the hood up so that shadows covered his face. A gleaming lance leaned on his shoulder and she had to suppress a gasp of wonder at the utter quality shown in the weapon. The spear head was fashioned after an angel's wings, with six sharp points shooting out in a circle pattern. It seemed to be made from the finest gold, although how one could fashion a weapon of war out of gold, she would never know. Even the oaken shaft was remarkable, with no warps or knots in the wood. She unconsciously reached a hand towards it, but managed to stop herself in time.

"I'm sorry to trouble you…" The stranger kept talking, each word sounding more and more familiar as time passed. "But I need some help getting back to Melior. Would it be possible for you to show me the way?"

"Huh? Of course, I'm heading over there myself. Why don't we go together?" Sarai offered. "After all, a journey is more fun when you go with others."

"How true…" He laughed lightly. He turned towards Sarai, giving her a quick look at his green eyes. "Hmm…Why are you going to Melior anyway?"

"Oh, well…I'm part of a mercenary band. I've had some difficulties, but I've finally overcome them and I'm going back to Melior to help them out." Sarai replied before looking at her companion. "Why are you heading for Melior?"

"Same reason as you." He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "I'm glad to see you haven't changed, Sarai."

"How do you know my name?" Sarai said, suddenly on her guard. Her hands whipped up to her crossbow and in a couple of seconds, it was loaded and pointed at the stranger's chest. All he did was let out another cheerful laugh.

"You don't recognize me, Sarai? I can't blame you. I _have_ been dead for a while…" The stranger used his free hand to pull down his hood. He smiled warmly at Sarai. "Recognize me now?"

Sarai's crossbow clattered onto the ground. She stared at Isaac in disbelief, unable to comprehend the sight in front of her. "I-Isaac? How…"

He dropped his spear on the ground before walking up to the smaller girl and enfolding her in a hug. He shut his eyes as they began to burn with unshed tears. He ran a hand across her back, his other hand coming up to untie the ribbon that was keeping her long, sea-blue hair captive. "I'm sorry, Sarai…For leaving you. Believe me, that was the last thing I wanted to do."

Sarai buried her face into Isaac's chest, feeling Isaac's tears soak her shirt just as her tears fell onto his tunic. She sniffed, feeling her heart simply swell with so much happiness that it was almost too much to bear. Isaac was actually alive. It couldn't be anyone else but him. "I-Isaac…I-I'm so happy…But I c-can't stop crying."

"I know, Sarai…I can't stop crying too." Isaac whispered, holding her even closer to him. "In Ashera's realm…I couldn't stop thinking about you. I wanted to come back…But I didn't know if I could. It hurt so much. But I'm finally back, Sarai."

"Yes, yes you are…Please don't leave me again. I won't be able to bear it…" Sarai looked up into Isaac's eyes. "I love you, Isaac."

"I love you too, Sarai." Isaac returned before bending slightly and giving her a soft, gentle kiss on the mouth. Sarai returned it with all the passion and grief that she had been wallowing in the past weeks, holding onto Isaac as if she never wanted to let go. Eventually, however, they parted.

"Heh…" Sarai sniffed, rubbing at her eyes. "Isaac, you need to take a bath. You smell horrible."

"You weren't complaining about that earlier." Isaac gave Sarai a teasing smile which turned into a laugh at the embarrassed look on her face. He picked up his lance with one hand and took Sarai's hand with the other. "Ashera warned me that I might smell. But, you know, even the smell means that I'm still alive. Let's go back home, Sarai."

"Yeah!"

Together, hand in hand, they headed back to their headquarters in Melior, smiling in anticipation of what their friends' reactions would be.

* * *

Chris: So? How was it? Hopefully it wasn't too bad for a two month break, huh? Well, I did say I needed one…so I guess it was worth it, since I'm pretty charged for the rest of the story. Please leave me a review and tell me what you think of the story! Adios and see you next chapter!

Note: No new OCs will be added. The story's practically on its finishing run, so I wouldn't have much space to plug in new people as well as I really should. Sorry to those who submitted OCs that haven't shown up. Chances are they won't be appearing.


	19. Mission 19: Return of the Fallen

Chris: After a month, I finally update! Great, huh? Aaanyway…Just go ahead and enjoy. Don't really have any notes about this chapter, really. There's fighting, though. Thanks to all who reviewed.

* * *

**Mission 19: Return of the Fallen**

"I don't suppose you guys have any idea where this demon is?" A young, inquisitive voice asked from the back of the large demon hunting party. He jumped up to look over the heads of the others, nearly hitting his head on a low-hanging branch in the forest.

"Shut up, Sayan." Serena grimaced and pinched the mage in his side, causing him to let out a sharp squeal of pain. He squirmed out of his grip and shot a hurt look at his friend, rubbing the side of his body to try to alleviate the pain. Serena just ignored him and continued on, her sheathed sword banging softly against her back.

"Sheesh, don't have to be such a grouch…" Sayan grumbled to himself. He looked up at the other mercenaries in the group, trying to see if they had any clue of what was going on.

While he was doing that, at the front of the group, Valkin was busy talking to Tataka about the Crimea/Daein war. The former commander looked behind him briefly at his fellow mage before turning back to face Tataka.

"Are they always like that?" Valkin asked, more than a little amazed at Sayan and Serena's actions. He took another look behind him, where he saw Serena giving the slightly taller boy a playful noogie. "How can they work well together if they always argue?"

"Don't know myself." Tataka returned, the elder warrior shaking his head with a solemn expression. "They're a strange pair, but they have pulled their weight and completed an astounding number of jobs."

"I see…" The mage shrugged briefly, looking up at the sky with his deep, blue eyes. He spotted the familiar shape of his raven friend and he waved up at her, hoping that Sylia would notice. Whenever the turquoise-haired girl felt tense or nervous, she would always go out flying to help calm her nerves. Valkin usually left her alone at these times, but today, he wanted to speak with her because he had a strange feeling she was nervous because of him.

Unfortunately for him, he wasn't going to get a chance to speak to her as in the next moment, their whole group suddenly came under attack. The veteran mage barely had time to erect a magical shield before a blast of wind streaked through the trees and crashed into him. It was only because of the strength of his shield that he managed to weather the storm. However, others weren't so lucky.

Sayan managed to create a shield as well, but when the wind came, the lightning creating his barrier folded upon itself and dissolved. The rest of the blast knocked him backwards a couple of meters, leaving him on his feet albeit extremely winded. His shield also protected Serena from most of the harm, although when the shield collapsed the swordswoman was launched backwards onto the ground. She let out an angry cough, wincing slightly as she rolled onto her back, breathing heavily.

Tataka somehow used his axe to cleave through the wind, creating a tunnel where the magic didn't go through. He quickly pulled Thanas in behind him, struggling to keep his defense up. "Get the others in here! Now!"

Thanas nodded, grabbing Wesley by the shoulder and throwing the lighter boy into the safe area. Wesley quickly scrambled to his feet and moved out of where he had fallen, watching as Raele and Mizu jumped and landed at the exact same spot. Zane and Aura were too far away in order to seek refuge with the rest of the party, but the two of them managed to find shelter behind a sturdy oak, where Zane held the younger girl comfortingly as she shook with fright.

Sylia suffered the most, however. She managed to transform back into her human form right before the brunt of the blast hit, but the wind still pushed against the smaller wings, knocking her from flight and causing her to crash into the tallest branches of a nearby tree. She let out a fierce cry of agony as broken pieces of wood plunged into her back. Sylia nearly lost consciousness then, but the female raven managed to keep her senses about her. However, this didn't help her react when branch beneath her broke, dropping her towards the hard ground. She had one last thought before another branch smashed against her stomach, causing her to black out. '_Valkin…Help.'_

'_I know this magic…'_ Thanas thought to himself as the wind died down. Moving his arm from his face, the young fighter's eyes snapped open as he realized who it was. "Laisa!"

He dashed on ahead, his short hatchet held tightly in his right hand. Tataka noticed his distress and rushed after him, pumping his legs furiously as he imagined the sight of fighting a demon. Raele and Mizu were right behind him, the bard running his fingers against the strings of his lute, a small smile flitting on his face as he thought back on the songs that he was taught. Wesley quickly ran after them, his quick feet enabling him to move at a much faster speed than the rest. Zane and Aura crept out of their hiding spot and tried to catch up to the other mercenaries.

Sayan and Serena, however, stayed in their spots, the mage talking in low whispers with his partner. Valkin was about to chase after Zane and Aura when he felt his heart drop into his stomach. Looking upwards, he saw the rapidly descending figure of Sylia crash through branches and plummet to the ground. He quickly ran over towards her, his eyes watching as she fell closer and closer to her death.

At the last second, he jumped forward and managed to catch the girl in his arms, biting off a shout as he felt wood chips stab into his flesh. He paled when he saw the horrible condition that she was in. Blood coated almost her whole body and gaping wounds were present on her arms, back, and legs. Both of her wings appeared to be broken and while she was breathing, it was extremely faint and seemed to be slipping with every passing second.

'_Oh no…I have to do something…Something!'_ The fire mage quickly rummaged through his belongings, trying to find the healing staff that he always carried with him. With a happy cry of success, he found the crystal-tipped staff and he immediately placed it on one of the bloody tears on her body. "By the Goddess Ashera, let your holy light mend these wounds."

A bright, blue light erupted from the diamond and some of Sylia's wounds closed, causing Valkin to let out a small sigh of relief. He knew it wasn't enough, though. While magic was able to cure many things, her wounds were so severe that it would only stall death. He needed to get her to a temple to Ashera as quickly as possible or else there would be no hope.

"V-Valkin…" Sylia whispered, her chocolate-brown eyes opening slightly. She looked up at him, a wistful smile on her face. "…Familiar, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" He smiled faintly back, using a corner of his robes to wipe away a trickle of blood that ran across her forehead. "Now be quiet."

"Mmm…We'll be able to talk later, right?" Her voice became soft and faint. She reached out a trembling hand towards his face. Valkin nodded and took her hand in his.

"Of course…Just rest." Valkin pushed her hand back down onto the soft earth before taking out his staff and casting another healing spell on her wounds. Sylia let out a contented sigh and closed her eyes, falling asleep. _'…I have to get her out of here.'_

Suddenly, an arrow flew out of nowhere and struck the crystal on top of the staff, shattering it into hundreds of pieces. Before the mage could react, another arrow struck him in the shoulder and he was knocked down from the impact. "What's going on?"

"Looks like easy prey, my friends. Let's kill these fools and give their souls to our master." A tall figure stepped out from behind some trees, his curved eyes glinting with bloodlust. He tapped a steel sword in his palm, running his fingers across the sharp edges. A crazy smile was on his lips and Valkin could see pointed ears poking out of the side of his head.

"We'll see about that!" A strike of lightning came out of nowhere and blasted out a hunk of dirt right in front of the demon. Everyone turned at the voice to see Sayan with his hand out, a confident smirk on his face. The young mage motioned with his hands, calling another bolt of lightning to strike the demon.

The demon just put his palm up above him and smiled as the lightning struck his flesh. Instead of destroying him, the lightning coalesced into a rotating sphere of electricity that hovered above his palm.

"I believe this is yours." The demon threw it back at Sayan, who jumped out of the way. Crashing into the ground, he wiped away the dirt from his hair and looked up only to see a sword pointed at his face.

"Serena?" Sayan asked confusedly, staring at the blank expression on his partner's face. "Why are you pointing that thing at me? You know that I could melt your stupid sword anyway."

"Try it." The swordswoman returned with a monotone voice, her posture unchanging. "You can't do anything right, Sayan. I've decided it isn't in my best interests to remain partners with you."

"What?" Sayan yelled incredulously, scrambling to his feet. "You're kidding me!"

"What's going on here?" Valkin shouted.

"Simple. You four will all die." The lead demon motioned out towards the forest and several other figures appeared. "You had the misfortune to fall behind. Of course, maybe that's a good thing, since the rest of your friends are going to be slaughtered by our master. As for your sword-wielding friend…can't you see the strings?"

"What…?" Valkin squinted, trying to find out what the heck the demon was talking about. "I don't see anything…"

"That's too bad then!" With that, the demons attacked.

'_I don't have time for this!'_ Valkin thought furiously as he threw a fireball at a different demon, feeling a small flicker of satisfaction as he watched it explode right in the demon's face. He worriedly took a glance at Sylia. It would take a while for her condition to falter again, but every moment wasted fighting meant another moment where he couldn't take her back to Crimea.

"Damn you!" Sayan cursed, jumping away as Serena's sword flashed right in front of him. He was being pressed from all sides and it was only because of luck that he hadn't received any injuries so far. However, he also couldn't throw off any spells because the moment he would try to conjure up some lightning, he would have his concentration broken. _'This is crap! What the hell am I supposed to do?'_

"Die…I hate you." Serena intoned as she slashed at him again, ripping through his gray robes. Sayan bit off another curse as he jumped backwards again, only to realize that he was backed behind a tree. Demons were closing in from every side and from what he could see, the only path of escape was through Serena. Which really wasn't such a good idea, considering that she could easily slice him to bits.

"Valkin! A little help here!" Sayan yelled at the top of his voice, feeling sweat bead out on his forehead as Serena slowly walked closer with that same, blank look on her face.

"Busy!" Valkin shouted back, guarding Sylia's body as he flung fireballs at all the demons that approached. Fortunately, there were only two attackers. Unfortunately, one of those attackers was the head demon, who seemed to be a lot more competent than the rest of his soldiers. _'How typical. Leaders can never be crap. I guess that's why they're leaders.'_

"You fare pretty well, mage. If only I had my master's power, however, you would be under my servitude at this moment…" The demon leader shook his head disappointedly. "Your soul will be adequate payment, however."

He directed his subordinate to attack first, a playful smirk on his face. Valkin just grunted, standing up and warily watching the lance-wielding demon that was stalking him. The veteran mage grimaced, bringing his hands close together in order to create a giant fireball. _'Screw this. I need to get Sylia to safety NOW.'_

"_Erieth typh dulan maiken rulan pyris, __exussum__!" _Valkin separated his palms, revealing a fireball the size of a soccer ball. Frowning angrily, he launched the fireball towards the demon, watching as it ripped up dirt and plants from the ground to be incinerated in its blaze. It crashed into the demon's body, exploding in a huge pillar of flame that towered into the sky. In a couple of seconds, the pillar disappeared, leaving only a small shower of ashes that silently fell to the dirt.

"Good work…" The leader said, smirking. "A little too late, however."

"What do you mean?" Valkin turned to face him, his blue eyes sparking with rage. What he saw made him freeze in terror as he saw the demon's sword inch ever closer to Sylia's neck. "You bastard! Let her go this instant!"

"What? Let this filthy raven go? Nonsense. Why, she's the perfect shield. Since fire magic has an explosion radius, any attack you launch at me will hit her too. And you expect me to release her?" The demon smirked. "Now? Come on. I can feel her life thread fraying away, mage. If you stall, she'll be dead anyway."

"Enough!" Valkin flipped out a knife he kept in reserve for emergencies. "Release her now, demon!"

"Fat chance!" The demon launched and inched forward, swinging his sword. "Prepare to die, fool!"

"Damn! It! All!" Sayan shouted, cursing both his and Valkin's situations. For some reason, he hadn't gotten attacked yet, but there still was no escape and Valkin was in no position to help. On the flipside, he wanted to help Valkin, but he wasn't even given a chance to move. "Serena! _Wake up!_"

"From what? I'm not asleep." Serena replied, a small smile the only hint of emotion on her face. "Sayan, you're worthless. You don't even know how to get out of your current situation. What happened to you?"

"_You_ happened to me, dammit!" Sayan spat out, growing extremely angry. "I was perfectly fine without you! And now you're freaking attacking me! Serena, I'm warning you! Don't make me do something that somebody's going to regret!"

"Try it."

"That's it!" Sayan growled angrily, spreading his arms wide. The demons around him tensed, ready to kill him the moment he showed any sign of casting magic. The young mage took in a deep breath, balling his hands into fists. "This is it! Hyaaah!"

With one quick move, he launched his fist at Serena's stomach, smiling in satisfaction at the surprise on everyone's face. He quickly followed it up with another punch, knocking Serena onto the dirt and giving himself a quick escape route. He dashed away, smiling to himself as he rubbed his fist.

'_And my teacher said training my fists was worthless. Hah.'_ Sayan thought to himself as he spun on his foot and faced his enemies. Serena was still on the ground, kneeling with that same, idiotic, blank expression. The two demons, he noticed, were still slightly taken aback by his move. He decided to take his chance to eliminate them.

"_Ariath slyf chuluk meleg lurann phrais,_****_mico__!"_ Sayan clapped his hands together, smirking as he saw bolts of lightning crash down around his opponents and slowly rotate around them. One of the demons attempted to move and the lightning bolts all converged on his body, electrifying the demon so badly that it exploded. The second demon was quickly destroyed as well and Sayan smiled as he wiped off a smear of blood from his cheek.

"Well, it's just you, partner." Sayan placed his hands on his hips, smiling cockily at the fallen swordswoman. All Serena did was stand, pointing her sword at Sayan's chest. "Look, it's not funny anymore. Stop it."

She slashed at Sayan and he stumbled backwards, looking alarmed and angry. He looked at her, breathing heavily. Earlier, he was just being cocky, hoping that Serena would be able to wake up from whatever daze she was in. But now, he realized he was in big trouble. That last spell took a lot out of him and it was a fact that he wouldn't be able to beat her in a physical fight.

She attacked again, a rapid strike that tore through his left arm, spraying blood in the air. The mage let out a scream and staggered backwards, clutching his wounded arm in agony.

"D-Dammit Serena…" Sayan gasped. "I thought…"

"You thought wrong. Prepare to die." Serena stepped towards him, her sword lifted high over her head. Sayan looked up at her eyes, feeling his heart ache as he saw the dull look in them. "Farewell, idiot."

"5…6…7…8…" Sayan whispered to himself, nodding his head to the rhythm. "Remember that beat, Serena? You taught me it. So…show me how the music moves you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Prepare to dance!" Sayan snapped his head up, smirking. He dropped to the ground, swinging his legs around him to trip Serena to the ground. When she did, he proceeded to kick her sword out of the way and he went back on his feet, bouncing up and down. Serena slowly got up as well, staring at her opponent. "Still don't get it? Then get this."

He lunged towards her, knocking her down and falling down on top of her. He stared at Serena's blank face, which was only a couple of inches away from his own. He smiled briefly. "Hi Serena."

"Get off. Now."

"No. You can't tell me what to do. Besides, when have I ever listened?" Sayan leaned forward, kissing her lightly on the lips. Serena's eyes snapped open and their former spark returned. She suddenly blushed and wrapped her arms around the mage's body, holding him close to her.

Sayan winced in pain. "Um…Glad to see you're back…But please, let go. My arm is killing me. I think it died."

Serena didn't answer, instead choosing to hold him tighter. She looked at him with her tearing eyes, her lower lip wobbling.

"Serena?" Sayan asked light-heartedly, feeling slightly air-headed from the loss of blood. "Um…Valkin really could use our help now…This isn't the time. Get off of me…please?"

"…" Serena didn't reply, but she did get off of Sayan's body. The mage sighed in relief and pushed himself upwards, weaving slightly on his feet. His vision swam for a while and he stumbled into Serena's arms, unable to focus. "…I need to help…_ Ariath slyf chuluk mel…_"

His knees gave out from under him and it was only because of Serena that he didn't collapse onto the ground. He looked up at her face, a tired smile on his lips. "…I can do it. I can handle myself. I've done it for so long…right?"

"Yeah…" Serena replied, giving him a sad smile. "You can do it."

"Thanks." Sayan nodded and slowly pushed himself back on his feet. He dimly saw Valkin jump to the side as he dodged a short thrust of the demon's sword. The young, forest-green haired mage took in a deep breath. _'This is it…Let's do this!'_

"_Talerk miginas storvus hyeart leif sulos ,_****_inflatus__!"_ The world around him disappeared, becoming a deep, black pit of darkness. The only thing in front of him was the demon, who seemed frozen in time, a fierce grin on his face and the sword in his hand. Sayan flung his palm outward, feeling a surge of electricity flow through his body and gather at his hand. With a roar, he flung it at the demon, feeling his heart surge as he watched the demon get enveloped in the raging maelstrom of electricity. Slowly, almost gently, the electricity evaporated, leaving nothing but the stink of ozone. Sayan smiled…

…and collapsed.

* * *

Chris: So yes, there's chapter 19. And the next one will be Chapter 20! What an accomplishment! Ahem, aaaanyway…If you're wondering what spells were used (and what jackassed spell chants I used), Valkin's spell was Elfire. And Sayan's spells were Elthunder and Thoron.

And if you're so astute that you actually noticed, the chants for Laisa, Valkin, and Sayan differ slightly. They actually sound relatively similar, but are just altered slightly (Wind, Fire, Lightning/Thunder). As for Sayan's last chant, I made a different chant for higher level magic (lest I forgot, Thoron is A-level). And if you know where the words in the Thoron chant are from…I congratulate you. Because that requires insane knowledge.

Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Please review and hopefully the next chapter will come earlier!

P.S. Sayan and Serena are in fact from an original story that I've written. Their personalities have been altered. However, their weapon preferences have not (Sayan is in fact a mage/warrior and can use a sword. Since in FE, mages can't use swords, I've let him use his fists.)

And Thanas's fight is next chapter.


	20. Mission 20: Vengeance

Chris: OMFG update! It's been so long since I last updated! And it's the big 2-0! Isn't that amazing? Anyway, thanks for all your continued support! And now on to the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem, as usual.

* * *

**Mission 20: Vengeance **

"Yaleus!" Anair frantically shouted out the swordsman's name, trying to find out where he was. Every moment that passed without any sign of him only served to increase her fear and anger. She was pissed off at Wesley for making her feel like this. She was afraid that something bad was going to happen to him since he was such a big idiot that he forgot to get his dagger. The two emotions kept clashing with each other and that only made Anair worse. When she finally saw the mercenary looking at some maps, the first thing she did was grab him by the collar of his shirt and lift him out of the chair. "Where the hell is the demon that Wesley is hunting?"

"A-Anair?" Yaleus spluttered, too caught off guard to come up with an intelligent response. Once he finally recovered his wits, though, he managed to get out of the archer's grip. "Don't you have to go home?"

"That was all a damn lie of Wesley's to send me somewhere else! Now tell me where he is! He left his damn dagger behind and he's going to the fight weaponless!" Anair shouted, slamming Wesley's steel dagger down onto the table. "That damn idiot! He never lets on how he's feeling and he keeps lying in order to disguise whatever he wants! First he tells me that he's truly in love with me and afterwards he goes off to die! What kind of attitude is that? He's so stupid! Now they're all going to die because of him!"

"…Aren't you kind of overreacting?" Yaleus muttered.

"No, I'm _not!_" Anair yelled back, causing him to wince.

"You're truly certain of this? Are you sure Wesley doesn't have another dagger packed around somewhere?"

"Yes!" Anair cried out in desperation. "Now stop asking questions and tell me where they are!"

"Well, since you see so confident…" Yaleus eyed the raving archer and sighed. "I'll ask Caroline to transport you to where the demon had been sighted. Who knows? Maybe Thanas would like some reinforcements."

"Thank you!" Anair whooped and hugged Yaleus fiercely. The swordsman was about to return the hug when she suddenly leaped out of his arms and raced for the stables, apparently going to inform the cavalier of the news. Yaleus scratched his head, chalked up Anair's odd behavior to the overall strangeness of emotions, and went back to his maps.

'_I wish Isaac was here. He would be able to deal with all of this.'_

_---_

Thanas bulled through the forest trees, swinging his hatchet wildly as he cleared out everything that stood in front of his way. Numerous cuts and scratches lined his arms and face, but he didn't really care. All that mattered was getting to Laisa and rescuing her from that bastard of a demon. He swung his axe again, breaking off a thick branch that would have collided with his head. _'Just like that…I'll swipe that demon's head off of his shoulders. I'll make him pay for everything.'_

Another jump, another slash, and there he was. The demon that had kidnapped Laisa. The young fighter's gaze immediately went to Laisa and at the sight he felt his blood boil. Her skin, already slightly pale, had gone even whiter, as if there wasn't any blood to flow through her veins. Her eyes were wide and dilated and her azure-blue irises almost seemed to be swallowed by the whites of her eyes. Series of marks covered her neck and there still were small droplets of dried blood that still stuck to the skin. Even her clothes had been abused. Her skirt was almost in tatters and there were numerous tears and rips along her shirt.

"Help…me." One of her arms lifted, slowly, tremblingly. A small hint of emotion escaped into her monotone voice and Thanas felt his heart being squeezed from anguish and guilt. "Please…Thanas…"

"Grr…" Varash growled and sent her pointed tail to snap against Laisa's cheek. A small, thin cut appeared, but the mage didn't notice. Her arm was still held out towards Thanas, but it began to droop, signaling the end of Laisa's resistance against whatever held her in this trance-like state. The collapse of Laisa's inner spirit triggered something in the young fighter. Memories, lots of them, came flowing back to him. He let them pass, letting them strengthen his will.

---

"_He has the markings of a good leader…Strong and determined…I don't know if he's trustworthy…But I trust no one." She smiled tightly. "Don't take it personally. That's just the way I am."_

_---_

"_I thought you might be thirsty, so I brought you a drink." Laisa handed the cup to Thanas, who accepted it._

"…_Don't you need this? I mean, you've been working too. You have to be as tired as I am." He handed the glass back, lacing his fingers on his stomach and closing his eyes. "Thanks a lot, Laisa. You drink it. I'm too tired to bother drinking anything now anyway."_

_Laisa eyed him suspiciously for all of a second before smiling softly and nodding, taking small sips from the glass. _

_---_

"_Hahahaha! It is so amusing to fight someone who is protecting his love!" The swordsman laughed. "But you are so weak, you can't do anything to me!_

_---_

"_As for me, I am one of the Maluin of Pravus, ready to bring this world back into darkness.__My name is Varash and soon, with the awakening of Diablo, this world shall be ours."_

_---_

"_Farewell, child. Grow up."_

Thanas raised his hatchet, glaring at Varash. He would chop that bastard's head straight off of his body. Once he was gone, Laisa would be back. She would talk…she would smile…she would laugh again. Varash was the cause of all this. Thanas felt his feet move, felt a war cry coming out from his lips. He raised his axe to strike this demon, this unholy creature that had turned his love into this unfeeling, unknowing person. He saw Varash smirk and raise his sword to counter. The metal clashed, throwing sparks in the air. As if that was a command, both demons and mercenaries burst into battle.

_---_

"Hurry up!" Anair shouted from atop Caroline's horse, wishing with all her heart that they somehow could go ever faster than one who warped through magic. She heard Caroline give an exasperated grumble and she decided to shut up. She knew that Caroline must have been tired of all of her urging, but it still didn't stop her from wanting to push Caroline to go faster. Every minute that passed meant another minute that Wesley was causing trouble and they needed all the untroubled minutes they could get.

"Whoa! Coriander, stop!" Caroline pulled on the reins and struggled to get the horse to halt.

"Why are we stopping?" Anair asked, her tone still slightly hysterical.

"Because Valkin is up ahead and it looks like he's injured!" Caroline shouted back quickly as ran towards the fire mage. "Hey, what happened?"

"Caroline?" Valkin looked up to see the young cavalier standing before him. It took his weary mind a couple of seconds to think of something suitable to say, but when it finally got into motion, he had a great idea. "Oh great, it's a good thing you're here! We need you get to get Sylia and Sayan down to the Temple of Ashera, now!"

He grabbed her arm and led her to a small area where the injured mercenaries were. Serena was there too, kneeling over Sayan and clasping his hand in hers. "Come on, we've got to get them on your horse. Help me."

"R-Right! Anair, we need your help!" Caroline immediately went to Sylia's side. At the sight of the laguz's mangled body, she paled and had to clasp a hand to her mouth so that she wouldn't throw up. She couldn't help it, though, and she turned to the side and heaved, sickened by the unconscious form in front of her. It was horrible. From a distance, it didn't look that bad, but up close, Sylia was a mess. Her wings were torn in hundreds of places and there were pieces of wood lodged in her body. Blood coated almost every inch of skin and while it seemed like she was merely sleeping, it looked more as if she was hovering on that inch right before death.

"H-How…?" Caroline managed to stutter.

"Demon attack. There's no time for an explanation! We need to get her and Sayan to a temple _now_!" Valkin said hurriedly. "She's going to die if she doesn't get some healing!"

"Y-Yeah." Caroline helped Valkin get the injured raven onto his back, feeling her stomach turn at the terrible sight.

"Serena, come on and help me get Sayan on the horse!" Anair shouted, running to the swordswoman's side. Serena stared at the archer blankly, still not budging from her spot on the ground. Anair gave an irritated sigh and knelt down, noting the deep wound that ran down the Sayan's left arm. She reached out to examine it, but before she could, Serena's hand reached out and stopped her.

"Please don't." Serena sighed sadly and released Anair's arm. She gently lifted the unconscious mage, cradling him to her chest. Anair went up to help, but Serena brushed her off. "I can handle this. Please, go help Caroline and Valkin. This is my job."

Anair gave a tired sigh and shrugged, leaving Serena to carry him by herself. She honestly didn't want to bother with all of this. She felt slightly guilty, but she couldn't help feeling that Sayan and Sylia were the cause of everything bad that had happened so far. A completely ridiculous reason, but that didn't stop her from thinking that, at least for a little while. But luckily for her frayed nerves, there weren't any other complications.

"Be careful!" Caroline shouted back as she rode back to Melior, making sure that her two passengers were secure. Soon, she disappeared from sight, leaving just Valkin, Serena, and Anair to reinforce Thanas's group. Anair wasted no time continuing on her way towards the fight, only stopping to tell the other two to hurry it up. Valkin snickered and walked after her, going at a more leisurely pace.

"Gee, she's really worried about someone. I bet you it's Wesley." Valkin turned to look at Serena. The swordswoman was walking next to him, but it seemed as if she was just walking because there wasn't anything better to do. She didn't seem to react to sounds, her eyes riveted forward in some sort of unmoving gaze. Valkin stopped, concerned about the condition she seemed to be in. He placed a hand on shoulder, squeezing a bit to make sure she noticed. Serena turned to him with an anguished look in her eyes.

"What is it, Valkin? Please, just leave me alone."

"…" Valkin decided to obey her wish. However, the moment he had taken a couple of steps, he noticed that Serena wasn't following him. Taking a look behind him, he found her walking in the direction of Melior. He grimaced and chased after her, ignoring his wounds. There wasn't any time for some sort of mental breakdown, not when they could be needed. "Serena! What are you doing?"

"I've…got to go back to Sayan. He needs me." Serena replied, continuing to walk.

"Dammit, Thanas and the others need you more! He's going to be fine!" Valkin shouted. "I would like to do nothing more than to stay by Sylia's side, but I have a duty to do! I'm sure Sayan will be waiting for you in front of the headquarters when we get back, with that teasing smile on his face. He'll probably tell you that you were an idiot for worrying about him or something!"

Serena let out a sad laugh. "Yeah…He would. But…he needs me right now. We've always been together. We're partners."

"So are me and Sylia! And Zane and Wesley! What's your point?" Valkin said, frustrated at Serena's attitude.

"No!" Serena whirled on her feet, facing Valkin with anger and tears in her eyes. "You don't understand! We've been together since we were children! We lived in the same village, went to the same classes, did the same chores…Everything we did was with each other! People always said we were inseparable. When I found out that Sayan preferred to learn the magical arts instead of sword fighting, we found an academy that taught both so that we still wouldn't be separated! We've traveled everywhere together…enjoying each other's company. But…but now he could almost die…And it's my fault! We spent so much time together and now he might die and I won't even be able to be there if he does!"

"…" Valkin looked at her defiant face, her shaking fists, her tearing eyes. "Very well. If you want to go, go. I can't stop you. But I'm just asking you to believe me. Sayan will be fine. He's tougher than you expect. You've been with him for the greater part of your life."

Serena stared hard at Valkin. Finally, she rubbed at her eyes and ran towards the battle scene. "Fine. Might as well finish this as soon as possible."

"Now that's the spirit." Valkin smiled. He ran off after her. _'Okay, Thanas…Help it coming. Here's hoping you won't need it.'_

_---_

'_Maybe I should have brought my dagger instead of leaving it in Anair's room.'_ Wesley thought as he tried to disappear among the trees, two demons rushing him with their swords. He knew perfectly well that he had left his main method of protection in the hands of Anair. Essentially, his life was in her hands. He was beginning to regret the stupidity of not bringing a backup, but then trying to convince Anair that he actually loved her had occupied all of his spare mental power. Leaping away from one demon, he quickly scrabbled up one of the trees, using the rough bark as quick footholds. "Nyah, nyah! Can't catch me now!"

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. Wings unfurled from the demons' backs and Wesley realized that they were perfectly able to catch him. Muttering a multitude of curses that he had learned, the thief waited until they had flown up to him. Then, he let go of the tree and let himself fall to the ground. Caught off-guard, the two demons were stunned when Wesley somehow managed to use his momentum to spin around a tree branch and crash into one of the demons. Wesley quickly managed to pry the stunned demon's sword from his hand and he shoved the weapon down the demon's chest.

The other demon managed to recover from his surprise and he flew down to confront him. Wesley, with his confidence at a new high, yanked the bloody sword out of the corpse and held it, albeit unsteadily, in front of him. The demon just smiled and attacked, his quick, masterful strokes easily beating back the thief's untrained defense. It wasn't long before the sword was knocked out of Wesley's grip, landing with a soft thump onto the leaf-covered dirt.

'_Oooh…Bad idea.'_ Wesley thought to himself. He began to run, but his feet slipped out from under him and fell down into the dirt, cursing. "Some thief I am."

The demon was about to finish him off when an arrow flew out of nowhere and thudded into his back. His eyes widened in surprise and his sword toppled out of his hand to land, point down, right next to Wesley's head. The demon's corpse fell directly on the thief, causing a whole new slew of curses to erupt as the thief tried to pry the body off of him. When he finally managed to shove the thing off of him, he sat up, shaking his head dizzily.

"Are you okay?" A comforting hand made sure he was steady and he looked for the owner of the voice.

"Anair!" A smile broke out on the thief's face and he was about to hug her when that same comforting hand from earlier slapped him across the face. "Ow! By Ashera, why did you do that?"

"You're such an idiot! Running off to battle without your only weapon!" Anair shouted, all of her tension and anger fueling her angry rant. "What are you trying to do, get yourself killed? A fine thing to do, especially after saying that you loved me! What kind of stupid moron would ever do something like that? It's a good thing I decided to come in order to bail you out or else you would be dead right now! Dammit, Wesley! It makes me wonder how I ever fell in love with you when you do stupid stunts like this!"

Wesley looked at the ground, his earlier joy turning into disappointment as Anair's lecture continued. At the last sentence, however, he raised his head and looked at her. "Wait, what?"

He didn't have a chance to say anything more before Anair swiftly gave him a kiss. It was only a fleeting kiss, but he enjoyed it a lot more than anything else that she could have done. Well, almost anything else. Before he could say anything else, Anair pierced him with a sharp glance.

"You tell anyone what I just did and I'll shoot you. We'll talk about this when we get back to the headquarters. We've wasted enough time as it is and thanks to you, we're all probably going to die." Anair rushed off to help some of the other mercenaries, leaving Wesley alone. He pushed himself up and brushed the dirt from his clothes, trying to see if Anair had left his dagger somewhere. It was lying on the ground, a torn scrap of paper lying beneath it. He retrieved both items, curious to see if the paper was a letter or something.

_Wesley, you're a big idiot, but I love you anyway._

Another smile widening on the thief's face, he tucked the letter into one of his pockets and returned to the battle.

_---_

"So these are demons." Tataka said to himself as he used his giant two-handed axe to cleave right through a demon's body. The veteran warrior had seen many sights in his lifetime, but he hadn't seen anything like this anywhere in the world. These demons truly deserved their names, from the two horns that sprouted from the top of their heads to their wicked, pointed tail. It was proving to be a tough fight against these beings. He plunged back into the fray, catching another demon in the back before he could attack Zane.

"Thanks." Zane said briefly before aiming his weapon and shooting at a demon in the distance. He was pleased to see the demon fall and he swiftly went back behind his hiding space in order to reload. He gave an understanding smile to Aura, who was holding her lance with utter fear, trying not to faint. "It's okay, Aura. Don't worry."

"I-I'm trying n-not to." Aura said shakily. "B-But I've never s-seen anything like this…H-How can you all be so c-calm?"

"I guess it's because we've all fought some point in our lives. I won't lie, the prospect of dying is always scary, but some just managed to overwhelm their fear with their confidence or courage." Zane said, carefully loading the explosive powder inside of his gun. "You weren't raised to be a fighter, Aura. Don't feel ashamed that you're scare. I know I was frightened out of my wits the first time I was in a fight like this."

"R-Really?" Aura asked.

Zane nodded. "It was some time ago, back when I knew your parents. I had been drafted into the army and your father was the commander of our regiment. We had been sent to fight in Daein, against Mad King Ashnard. Our first battle against the Daein troops…I can still remember it. Trust me, you can't forget something like that. But your father, he was there out in the field, and he helped me get through the fear and the terror."

"And then he died…"

Zane sighed remorsefully. "I'm sorry for bringing that up."

"No, it's okay. I've dealt with that." Aura took in a deep breath and managed to shake as much. "I think I'm f-fine now."

"That's good to hear." Zane said as he fired again, taking down another demon right in the back of the head. "Perfect, a head shot."

"Hey, don't forget about us!" Valkin and Serena burst through the trees, the mage scattering fireballs at the demons while Serena viciously cut one down with one swipe of her two-handed sword. Raele smiled when he saw the two and looked at Mizu, who was at his side.

"I am glad that they are here. The thought of their deaths had filled me with fear." Raele strummed his lute once before smashing the bladed side against a demon's head. Mizu nodded her agreement, waiting for the battle energies to once again flow through her body so she could transform again.

"Haha, looks like you're in over your head, Varash!" Thanas shouted as he swept down in another attack, his axe clanging fiercely against the demon's sword. The young fighter kept up the attack, pushing the demon back. Finally, with one massive swing, his axe shattered the sword blade, scattering pieces into the air. Thanas smile victoriously, his axe held just inches before Varash's face. "Prepare for hell, demon!"

Varash just smiled. "Laisa, use Thunder."

Thanas was suddenly struck in the back by a ball of electricity and he let out a scream, feeling the lightning course across his body. He sank to his knees, panting as the spell wore off. He managed to push himself upwards, still holding his axe in front of him determinedly. He swung his axe at the demon's head, but a blast of wind knocked him backwards. He tried again, but this time a fireball landed in his path, exploding in a rain of magical fire. "You bastard!"

"Still can't reach me? Tut, tut, I honestly thought you had gotten better. Of course…if you really want to reach me, all you need to do is kill Laisa." Varash laughed, enjoying the look on Thanas's face. "Come on, kid. Can you do it?"

"Don't make fun of me!" Thanas roared, charging at the demon again. Spells rained down all around him, but Thanas ignored them and continued on, trying to ignore the blasts and explosions. He hissed as a particularly large fireball exploded right next to him, but he was heartened to see the magic quickly fizzle afterwards. Either Laisa had really bad aim or she was still managing to resist some effects of the control that she had been placed under. Thanas personally hoped for the latter.

He closed in on Varash, seeing the earlier look of triumph on the demon's ugly face slowly dissolve into disbelief. With the rest of his energy, he blazed through the last obstacle, a wall of fire. He dashed through it, feeling the hot flames lick at his skin. And then there was Varash, staring at him with a mixture of utter amazement and a small hint of admiration. Thanas swung his axe and it plunged deep into the demon's chest. Varash choked, blood spilling out of his lips. The demon dropped to his knees, unable to stand any longer. He looked at Thanas, who was covered with burns, cuts, and smoking bits of armor.

"I've won, Varash." Thanas panted, feeling the adrenaline in his body fade away, leaving him tired and dizzy. "Release her."

"All this…for love…" Varash gurgled. "Enjoy it…while the world burns…around you." Varash crumpled to the ground and died, his body slowly dissolving into black ash as he was devoured by some inner fire. Thanas turned away from the sight and staggered towards Laisa. She had been standing in the same spot for the entire battle, unruffled by the fights around her. But now, some of the color had returned to her skin and her eyes were sparking with life again.

She stumbled to Thanas, as if she had forgotten how to use her legs. The young warrior collapsed on top of her, knocking the both of them down to the ground. Thanas looked up at the mage's face, Laisa's face. He smiled.

"You're back…I'm so happy…" Thanas felt the last of his energy slip away and he fell into unconsciousness. Laisa held him close, savoring the feeling. She heard movement behind her and she looked up, seeing the other mercenaries around her.

"He really missed you." Zane said.

"I missed him too…" Laisa smiled through her tears. "I love you, Thanas."

She kissed him on the forehead, brushing away his red hair. "Thank you so much."

_---_

"Remember the time when Cyrus thought it would be interesting to see whether or not he could ride a horse? He mounted from one side and fell off the other! It was so hilarious to watch him keep messing up." Isaac said, laughing as he recalled all the fun times he had with his fellow mercenaries. He stretched, enjoying the sensation of the warm afternoon sun coating his body.

"Hey, you've changed your ponytail." Sarai said, pointing to the back of his head.

"Oh yeah. I decided to get rid of it now." Isaac replied, looking at the untied hair. "Think it looks okay?"

"Yeah, it looks great! Not girly at all." Sarai chuckled. "Never thought I'd be saying that to you."

"I never thought I'd be hearing that?" Isaac looked at his hair, which fell slightly below his shoulders. "Is my hair that long?"

"No, it's fine!" Sarai laughed.

"Isn't that cute? A young couple enjoying their time together." Two figures appeared out of nowhere, both holding wicked looking swords. Isaac stared at them, feeling something prick at his gut. He untied his lance from of his back and held it out in front of him, the blessed weapon filling him with strength. The spear's head glowed with light and Isaac immediately knew what he was dealing with.

"Don't bother us, demons, unless you want to be sent to hell." Isaac said angrily. He was enjoying his time talking with Sarai and these two idiots had just disturbed it. And if they planned on killing them, well, they had a whole new story waiting for them.

"Tough words! Let's see if you can back them up!" The two demons charged at him, holding their swords high above their heads. Sarai was about to fire an arrow at them when Isaac held out an arm in front of her, motioning her to stop.

"Let me deal with this." Isaac swung his lance downwards, so fast that the spear head burst into flames. Charging at the two demons, he swung it upwards at the first demon, the mere touch of the holy weapon causing the demon's body to burst into flames. Isaac shifted his attention to the other demon, slashing him twice in an X pattern. Flaming lines cross the demon's body and it was transfixed, unable to move. Isaac pointed his spear forward, the spear head pointing right at the intersection of the two lines. One quick thrust and the spear burst through the demon's back, engulfing the creature in a maelstrom of flames. Isaac withdrew his weapon and attached it back to his back, the weapon looking as if it were brand new.

Sarai stared at him with awe, her mouth hanging open slightly. "H-How did you do that?"

"Ashera taught me some things." Isaac smiled at her. "Come on, let's get back to our friends."

"Right!" Sarai nodded enthusiastically.

* * *

Chris: Wasn't that such a great update? Thanas kills Varash, Wesley and Anair totally make out (not really), and Isaac gets to show off his brand new skills! Hope you enjoyed reading it and please drop off a review!

P.S. If you're wondering (which you aren't), the skill Isaac used would be his Occult Scroll skill. Here's a little profile of it for you.

Occult Skill - Exuro (Activation at 1/4 Skill + Luck Rate, 1/2 if wielding Veneratio)

Inflicts the enemy with the Burn condition (Just like Poison) and deals 2x damage to the enemy as well as decreasing the defense of the enemy by 1/4 and reducing their resistance by 5 points.


	21. Mission 21: Return of a Hero

Chris: I HAVE RETURNED! Well, not really. I was just browsing through my profile when I saw Restoration sitting there and I just felt like updating it. Cause it's just so awesome. And cause it's the longest fic I have on here. Anyway, enjoy the update. It might be updated again really soon…Or it might not. But for now, enjoy Restoration in it's totally revived glory!

* * *

**Mission 21: Return of a Hero  
**

"Yaleus, Yaleus!" Caroline hurriedly knocked on the front doors of the headquarters, casting worried looks behind her. She had rushed here as fast as she could, but it still didn't stop her from thinking that Sayan and Sylia were both dead. Caroline increased the pace of her knocks, almost jumping up and down from her nervousness. "Dammit, Yaleus! Open the door!"

"What is it?" Yaleus said urgently, running towards the two injured mercenaries when he saw them. "How did this happen?"

"I…I don't know! T-They were just injured!" Caroline stammered. "Are they okay? They aren't dead, right?"

"No, don't worry about that. Both of them are still alive, albeit in really bad condition. Go inside and get Shirley. I'll stay out here and watch over them." Yaleus commanded. Caroline nodded once before heading inside the mansion, yelling Shirley's name at the top of her lungs. Yaleus turned his attention to Sylia, wincing as he saw the extent of her wounds. _'Who could be this powerful? I hope Thanas and the others aren't having too much trouble…'_

"What's going on?" Shirley stalked out of the mansion, drawing her healer's robe around herself irritably. She had been praying to her goddess when Caroline had broken into her room, screaming about somebody dying. While she knew she had to do her duties as a healer, Shirley still felt angry at being interrupted. However, all the irritation flew out of her mind as she saw the two unconscious people on Caroline's horse. "What happened to these two?"

"I don't know." Yaleus said as he gave Shirley some room to work. "All I know is that Caroline had picked them up. Perhaps the others could give us more information when they return."

"If they return…" Shirley added as she brought her staff to one of Sylia's wounds. "If this was caused by one person, then we may be in more trouble than we thought. What about Sayan? He doesn't seem to be injured. Don't tell me the stupid sod is sleeping.

"The legendary Shirley brusqueness at work, I see." Yaleus muttered to himself. He nudged Sayan on the shoulder and the mage slipped off of the horse, falling as if he was a dead weight. "He might not seem injured…But there's definitely something wrong with him."

"I heard the commotion. What's going on?" Shannon rushed out of the mansion, Melissa tagging behind her. One look at Sylia and she turned her attention of Yaleus. "Are we under attack?"

"No…don't worry about that. Hmmm…Know anything about magic?"

"Other than the fact that it really hurts, no. Melissa might." Shannon looked down at her younger sister, who nodded. "Why?"

"Sayan here doesn't have any injuries, yet he's fully unconscious and his pulse is extremely weak." Yaleus explained, lifting the mage in his arms to carry over to the sisters. "Also, he's as light as feather."

"Oh…I've heard of something like that happening. It's a condition that happens when a mage uses all of his magic power at once. The body can't cope with the loss, so it temporarily goes into hibernation state in order to regain some of its magic. It's a really rare condition, though, since few people are foolish enough to charge all of their magical energy into one shot." Melissa explained, walking over to Sayan's unmoving body. She pushed open his eyelids and nodded to herself. "That's what I believe this is. It should be a day or two before he fully recovers. Until then, don't let him do anything stupid."

"…That might be difficult, knowing him." Yaleus groaned. "Still, it's good knowing that he's not going to die. Uh, if you would, could you two take him back to his room? Should be second floor, third door to the right. I need to stay here and watch over Sylia and Shirley."

"Sure. Come on, sister." Shannon lifted Sayan up to her shoulder, heading back towards the mansion with Melissa. As they left, Yaleus heard Shannon chuckle. "You were always the one who liked to read about magic, Mel. You should've been a mage. 'Course, magic certainly isn't as exciting as getting up and close in combat. Hey, when do you think we'll be able to see Isaac? Everyone keeps saying that he's out."

'_Isaac…We really can't keep deceiving those two or ourselves any longer. Everyone, even I, have been hoping that he would just appear out of nowhere. What a foolish idea.'_ Yaleus shook his head before walking up to Shirley, who appeared to be putting the finishing touches on her healing. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Yeah, there's no problem. Come on, help me take her to her room. And don't let those two idiots, Cyrus and Arrin, see us. They're bound to hound us with questions that we can't answer." Shirley said as she helped Yaleus carry the unconscious laguz. She paused for a little bit, looking over her shoulder.

"What's the problem?" The green-haired swordsman asked.

"Nothing…Just…felt a little flicker." Shirley shook her head. "Come on, let's go."

From behind a small alcove of trees, Sarai and Isaac exchanged snickers. Sarai punched Isaac teasingly on the shoulder, giggling as she did so. "Why didn't you tell them you were alive?"

"Where would be the fun in that?" Isaac returned, chuckling as he shifted his weight. His expression turned serious and he sighed slightly. "I really don't know. I've always imagined of this day, when we could both go into the headquarters and surprise everyone and there would be a great party. But when I saw two of my mercenaries lying there, almost dead, I was wrenched back to reality."

"Ohhhh?" Sarai grinned. "Are you going to say something corny like saying that we need to defeat the demons in order to save the world? Because if you do, I might have to punch you for that."

Isaac managed a small laugh. "No, I wasn't. I really don't want to kill Pravus to save the world. I want to kill him because he killed me. I think it would be his just desserts. Ah…enough of this mopey attitude. Let's go inside and show everyone that I've come back from the grave."

"Haha, that's the Isaac I love!" Sarai folded Isaac in the hug, sighing in contentment as she felt Isaac return the embrace. However, her happiness faded away as she spotted a very familiar figure standing behind Isaac. "Eliza! What the hell are you doing here?"

Isaac spun and saw the traitorous healer standing there, a mournful look on her face as she stared at the both of them. His hands moved towards his lance and he looked around warily, trying to see if Pravus was there as well. "What do you want?"

"I…" Eliza looked downwards. "I wanted to see you…"

"After you betrayed him to Pravus?" Sarai said angrily, hefting her crossbow. "Get out now before I shoot you in the face. I don't even know why I'm not shooting you right now."

"Wait…" Isaac held out a hand in front of Sarai. "Let her speak first. Now tell me, Eliza, why are you here? And how did you find out I was alive?"

"I…have a special connection with you…" Eliza murmured, a hand to her heart.

"Bull!" Sarai cursed.

"No…When Pravus…crafted me, he made sure that I would know everything that happened to one person. That person was you." Eliza whispered. "He had been watching you ever since you were a kid…He knew you would someday challenge him. So he made me…a precaution. A failure of a precaution, but still a precaution."

"What do you mean?" Isaac said. "How would he know? I'm no different from plenty of other mercenaries that have come from Daein."

"He's a god. How do you question a god? He just knew." Eliza explained. "So…I was made to lure you to him so that he could kill you. And he did. But apparently, Lady Ashera resurrected you. I felt your return, so that's why I'm here right now."

"Why haven't you told Pravus? He's your master…" Isaac said, put back on guard. "Don't tell me that you just did this to stall."

"No!" Eliza protested. "No…I haven't told him yet. I don't think I'll ever tell him. Until he forces the words from my lips…I won't tell him."

"Why should we believe you?" Sarai asked suspiciously.

"You should know." Eliza gave a sad glance at Sarai. The healer shivered as a cold blast of wind hit them and she looked behind her, as if worried. "I should go…And for what it's worth, good luck and I'm sorry."

Isaac and Sarai watched Eliza leave, her figure rapidly disappearing in the trees. The blue-haired archer let out a sad sigh and shouldered her crossbow, feeling weighed down by the moody atmosphere. She looked at Isaac, who was shaking his head. She brought a hand to his cheek, stroking it tenderly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." Isaac straightened, getting to his feet. He smiled at Sarai, trying to brighten up the gloomy mood. "Come on. Let's go inside and see how they react."

_---_

"Arrin, Cyrus! Stop fooling around with those swords! They are not supposed to be used to chop vegetables! Rima! Just because you're the tactician doesn't mean you take control of the war room as your personal playpen!" Yaleus roared as he stamped throughout the mansion, trying to stop the seemingly childish atmosphere that was pervading throughout the headquarters. It had started with Melissa, Mact, and Shannon starting a pegasus flying service for the other mercenaries. Then Arrin and Cyrus had the bright idea of making lunch through combining combat practicing and cooking. And finally, Rima decided to claim the war room as a place where she could play around in peace. He knew it was because they were trying to work off their sorrow of Isaac's death, but there had to be a limit. Preferably one that didn't drive him to the wall. "Geez…This is getting way out of hand."

"Having some problems?"

"You bet, Isaac. I swear, I've been hoping you'd show up to help me take care of this mess. It's been absolutely crazy without you here." Yaleus said distractedly. He spun and grabbed Isaac by the shoulders, shaking him. "I don't know how you handle this, Isaac. I now know how you felt when I was using a rope to swing from the second floor to the first."

Yaleus suddenly paused, as if something important had just come to his mind. He looked up and Isaac waved at him, a wide smile on his face. Yaleus blinked a couple of times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. "Aren't you dead?"

"Doesn't feel like it." Isaac shrugged. "But you would know better than me, I guess."

"B-But Sarai said you were…" Yaleus looked behind the lancer's shoulder, where Sarai was waving at him cheerily. All of his stress finally overloaded on him and he put a hand to his forehead. "I need a drink."

"Glad to see you haven't gained any gray hairs, old man." Isaac said cheerily as he helped the tired swordsman towards the kitchen. This may not have been such a smart move, since Cyrus and Arrin freaked out when they saw Isaac, screaming about a zombie that was coming to eat their brains. It was only a couple of minutes before the rest of the mercenaries had come down to the kitchen to see this famed 'zombie'.

Which had resulted in Isaac being barraged with a multitude of question and hugs and various other actions which made him think that surprising everyone wasn't such a smart idea. Finally, he held up his hands to stall the questions, deciding to take them one at a time. "Yes, I am Isaac Tritheon, leader of the Fraction of Hope mercenary band, and am not a 'zombie that was resurrected by the armies of evil'."

"Hahaha, I told you this Isaac was good! He can even come back from the grave!" Shannon laughed enthusiastically as she slapped her younger sister on the back. "Oh man, I know we had a good reason for coming here! This is just too much!"

"Welcome back, boss. The little one has been hoping you'd return." Aran said solemnly as he pushed Janine forward. The young girl hopped on top of Isaac's lap, hugging him fiercely. Isaac smiled warmly and placed a comforting hand on her head, slowly brushing her hair.

"Doesn't he look so handsome like that?" Caroline whispered to Kyril, looking at Sarai with a small measure of jealousy. "He would make a great father someday."

"I know." Kyril said, nodding. "Ashera was right to bring Isaac back into the world. He will bring us hope in this tortured land."

"Hahah, listen to you. You sound like one of those blustering philosophers back in Begnion, except that you're actually correct." Caroline smirked, poking the monk in the side. "But what about your own feelings about having Isaac back, huh? Surely you must have something more substantial than 'It's Ashera's will.'"

"What can I say?" Kyril shrugged helplessly. "It's a good thing."

"So that's the kid? I always thought he'd have more muscle." Tawny muttered to herself. She looked over at Mact, who was hopping on his feet to get a better view of the mercenary leader. "But then he doesn't have that many muscles either…What is it with lancers?"

"Isaac's back! Isaac's back!" Arrin and Cyrus had linked elbows and were currently dancing around the kitchen, making complete fools of themselves.

After a couple of more minutes of rejoicing, Isaac finally managed to shoo away the majority of the mercenaries. However, Rima, Yaleus, and Shirley stayed to report the conditions of the mercenary band and if anything important had occurred in his 'absence'.

"Pravus has been getting active lately, huh? Shirley, have you received any messages from Ashera?" Isaac said. He let a sigh and gratefully accepted the cup of water that Sarai handed him. "I know that my new spear could defeat him, but I just have no idea where he could be."

"I was in the middle of contact with her when I was interrupted." Shirley said, her hands propping up her chin. "Before my focus was broken, I do recall Ashera telling me that Pravus would be 'lurking in a place where great evil has arisen before'. However, I have no idea where that may be."

"Anyone have suggestions?" Isaac looked around at the small group. "I have an idea of my own, but I would like to hear your opinions first."

"Perhaps the Serenes forest?" Rima offered before shaking her head immediately afterwards. "No, that was stupid. Besides, we've already been to Begnion. Surely we would have seen something more if Pravus had been lurking there."

"It wouldn't be the former Crimean palace…" Yaleus muttered, shaking his head. "While that place is in ruins, I can't imagine it being considered an evil place."

"Then I'm probably right. The place where Pravus is staying is my homeland, Daein." Isaac said. "He will probably be in the remains of the Daein stronghold where Lord Ike and his mercenaries confronted the Mad King Ashnard."

"That would make sense…It's common for evil to gather in a place that it has already infected." Shirley muttered thoughtfully. "I'm going back to my room. Perhaps I can establish a link with Ashera again."

Yaleus snickered as he watched Shirley leave. "You can't imagine how snappy she was when you weren't here, boss. Boy, it'll be good to see a nice Shirley for a while. She could've scared the scales off a dragon when she got in that pissy mood."

"Anyway, I'll be heading off. Gonna check the rumors on the street." Yaleus said as he rose. With a wave, he headed out of the headquarters.

"Well, don't wanna take any more of your time, lovebirds." Rima chirped as she hopped off her seat. She pranced towards the common room of the mansion, where her laughter quickly mingled with the other mercenaries gathered there.

"Phew…A lot of stuff happened while we were away, huh?" Sarai said as she sat down next to Isaac. She ran a hand through her blue hair, her fingers fiddling with the long strands. "I hope Thanas and the others are okay."

"I wouldn't worry about them. They know how to take care of themselves." Isaac said in response. "Hahah, we still need to see their reactions. Can you imagine Raele? He'll probably spout some crazy rhyme like he always does. And what about Wesley? And everyone else? I can't believe how much I've missed this."

"Oh?" Sarai leaned in closer, her lips curled in a petulant frown as she drew circles on Isaac's chest with a finger. "Even more than me?"

Isaac smirked and kissed her on the cheek. "Nothing can compare to that."

* * *

Chris: …You do not know how hard it was to remember everyone after not updating the fic for like…3 months. I'm still pretty certain I missed a merc here or there (Boors for one), but don't worry. I haven't fully forgotten them, so they'll all still be here in this lovely mercenary group. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this terribly late update and please leave a review! 

And if you're confused about all the characters (I know I am.), I'll be writing a whole profile thing for it (because it needs one). If you want a copy, e-mail me, PM me, whatever, and I'll try to send one your way.


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